The Fiction We Live
by Greta
Summary: Dark thoughts and secrets, rebellions on Saturn, ancient pacts of power gone wrong ... the Silver Millennium is slowly but steadily drowning in darkness. What part do the Lights play in it? And what really brought the downfall of the ancient kingdom? AU
1. Prologue

**AN: This story is in dire need of a complete rewrite! I did actually start rewriting the whole thing a few years ago, but never got around to writing any new chapters, which is why I never posted those rewritten chapters.**

**Please be patient with me, I do seriously want to get around to finishing this story at some point, I still have a lot of ideas for it. And please don't be too hard on what is posted here at the moment – I started this story over a decade ago, when I was freaking 12. My writing has improved since then, I swear.**

**I've also noticed that ff dot net deleted all the line breaks in the story (starting with the next chapter), which makes it awful to read of course. I apologize for that (and blame ff dot net ;P)!  
**

* * *

_The truth is not always what it seems to be. This story is a tale of what might really have happened during the time of the Silver Millennium. For every kingdom, however grand it may be, harbours darkness and shadows. _

* * *

"The Fiction We Live" Prologue

by Greta

* * *

Her eyes shot open, as another wave of pain washed over her body. She could feel the façade of strength she had been keeping up crumbling.

Raising her propped up body a little she watched a few women bustling around her bedroom, worry etched into all of their faces. Clamping her teeth together she tried to ignore the pain a small movement like she had just made caused.

"… Armina …" she whispered, trying to sound like the Queen she was, clear and strong.

Even though it had been whispered so quietly that it had barely been a whisper, everybody in the room heard it. A young woman rushed forwards and started dabbing the silver-haired woman's forehead with a cool cloth.

"Why … why's there so much pain?"

Armina gulped, trying to hide the sadness from her face. She tried looking warmly at the woman lying weakly in the huge canopy bed in front of her. "It's alright, Serenity. That's birth," she whispered, tenderly brushing her cool hand over the Queen's fevered one.

"I'm not dumb. This isn't normal," she managed to gasp, her sentences kept short because of the pain flooding her body. "You know so as well."

Armina gave no answer.

But that was enough for her. She knew now that this couldn't be good. Closing her eyes, she let her head drop backwards. She wanted to hit something, scream and cry. How cruel of destiny to leave her too weak for doing so.

Curling her hand into a fist, she opened her eyes again, and looked outside the window across of her.

It had started to rain.

"A deathbirth?"

"Yes."

* * *

She didn't hear the soft creaking of the door as it opened slowly, letting a small beam of light break through the darkness she was sitting in. She had dragged herself from her bed, the pain every step sent through her body horrific. She sat upon a soft chair, her bleak eyes staring out of the window.

"You – you called for me, Serenity?" a female voice whispered through the room, slowly coming up to her side. Upon seeing the Queen, she gasped before saying quietly: "You should be lying down. Th- This has weakened you tremendously."

Shrugging her shoulders, she continued fixing her eyes on the swaying branches outside, the wind nothing compared to the howl of her soul. She sat in silence, her body not moving.

The Queen's young advisor sighed, her blue eyes fixed on the floor, her eyes tracing the carpet's pattern. She felt for the Queen, this loss being the most horrible yet. She felt for her, knowing what it was to be a mother, as the gift had been made to her not very long ago.

"I want you to bring me to the Room."

Armina's head snapped up, her eyes wide. There was only one room the Queen could mean. The Room of Prayer, the very heart of the Moon Palace.

This meant nothing good.

"Why?" the Queen asked coldly, kneeling on the cool marble floor.

Silence answered her.

"Answer me!" she cried, her rage and sadness making her arch her back and her eyes fill with pain. She looked accusingly around her at the nine heavily cloaked people in the room with her. They were standing in a half circle around her, keeping silent.

She was kneeling on the floor of the Room of Prayer, the only room of the palace the Queen alone was allowed inside. In the centre of the dome-like room stood a large crystal pillar, a crystal shining at its base.

Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, her fingers closing into fists. How she hated being here. She wanted to scream and rage, hit and bite, rant hysterically. But she knew she had no power over them. They would speak to her only once they were ready to do so.

"It was not our doing, Selene."

Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. If it wasn't destiny or fate or another one of you, what was?" she whispered angrily, her voice almost a hiss.

"Things do happen without our doing, Selene."

"They do not!" she screamed, bringing her fists down on the hard ground beneath her legs, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. Tears dropped to the ground. "They have never happened without you before! Why now? Why?"

Only silence answered her. She hated them. They had only brought sorrow upon her all her life. These nine beings had controlled every turn in her life, always saying it was to be that way or another. She had accepted it until now, always taking the consequences, crying bitterly or screaming angrily while doing so.

But not anymore. She wouldn't take it this time.

Straightening her back proudly, she let her eyes roam over each mysterious cloaked body.

"Then I will make the sacrifice," she whispered, her body shaking, her chin raised proudly. She could feel their surprise, their shock, even though none of them moved. "I will make the sacrifice," she repeated quietly, her eyes defiant.

"You are aware of the consequences?"

"I am."

"And you are sure?"

"I am."

"This is your final choice?"

"It is." Her last words were not met with another question. They stood silently, staring at her.

"Then so it may be." They raised their arms high above their heads in unison, revealing pale limbs, chanting strange words in the ancient language of the moon as one.

Letting her head drop backwards, her eyes grazed the ceiling far above her head, a heat rising in her body. She could feel their words affect her deep inside her, a hot trail making its way through her body. Her breath quickening, she felt no remorse for her choice. From this day on, she would be Selene no more. She would only be Serenity, her mysterious powers no more, her magic pathetic to what it had been as a goddess.

But she was to be a mother.

She was ready to sacrifice what her ancestors had bestowed upon her.

* * *

Tiny eyes opened, blue eyes blinking, scared of the big world they saw, dark and unwelcoming.

Alone. She felt so utterly alone.

And a scream, a scream marking the beginning of her tiny life left her lungs.


	2. Chapter I

Insert the usual disclaimers here, I trust you avid fanfiction readers to know them by heart. Enjoy your read.

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter One

by Greta

--

The Moon Palace lay in darkness. It was late, far too late for normal life to take place in between its walls, yet there was still a lone light shining in the far end of its western wing to be found. Sitting in her room on a large armchair, a large book resting in her lap, the queen was trying harshly to stay awake, tiredness creeping up in her limbs. Shaking her head, she sighed as she worked through the silence of the night, flipping through page after page, a pencil working its way over different sentences of many words in foreign languages. But suddenly, the slight sobbing and weeping of a soft voice could be heard, making the queen look up at once.

A small girl was carefully entering her room. Long, silvery hair was trailing down her pale shoulders, her small arms rubbing at the tears falling from her blue eyes. Sniffling, she headed towards her mother.

"What is wrong, Princess?" the queen asked softly, laying her book aside to embrace the small body in her arms.

"I can't go to sleep," the girl answered in a small voice, sniffling. "Venus' stories scare me so."

"Why, what did she say?"

"She … she told me that … that there are big black monsters that eat small children that cry... Is that true?" the small girl asked completely terrified, her eyes wide with fear. The horror of the thought seemed to rattle her to the core.

"Oh Serenity ..." the queen started, sighing. Pulling her child onto her lap, she rocked her back and forth, making a soothing noise under her breath. "My poor baby," she said, looking down at her daughter. She softly brushed the tears away that were still making their way down the girl's soft cheek. "You must know that we all own a star within our hearts."

"A star?" she asked softly.

"A bright, shining star … You see, Light and Dark have belonged together since all eternity. And we can't live without either one … and neither of them will ever cease to exist, which is why we must learn to live with them both. But when the darkness overwhelms you, scares you, you have to think of that star shining inside of you, Serenity. By showing it your tears, your fear, the Dark will only become larger, and in the end overcome you. It is then, and only then ... that it has succeeded over the Light." She paused for a moment. "Serenity, when you want to overcome the shadows and darkness, that are a threat to your heart, you must let that star that lives in you shine forever."

Taking the Princess' face in between her hands, the queen placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Standing up, she took a small hand in her own, and led the young girl back to her room, where she stayed until the girl drifted off into slumber.

--

13 years later

--

_Dearest Queen Serenity,_

The Queen sighed, reading the letter over that had arrived earlier that day for what felt like the hundredth time, one paragraph standing out boldly from the many pages. _Bad things have been happening here for the last few months, though bad somehow seems to weak a word to describe them. Awful, horrible things, that have left me trembling with shock. Revolutions have been forming again after almost 13 years of peace on every one of my planets, cold battles are being fought wherever I look to try and keep things under control. People seem to be losing their minds, turning into brutal animals, driving on their instincts that only tell them to destroy. They have stopped seeing the beautiful and the good, preferring to destroy it in any way possible to them. And most of all I can feel it, the bitter taste of the darkness claiming its space around us, inside all of us. __I remember you once telling me how you were afraid that one day something like this would happen, that the balance would somehow be upset. Well, my galaxy, being far away from your beautiful Solar System, has seemed to be doomed sooner. _

Yes, she had indeed feared something like this happening, something that wasn't meant to happen, that somehow the balance would slowly topple. She had voiced her fear once to her friend, many many years ago, when they were still young. She guessed some part of her had always anticipated this happening. But that fact did not make it any easier to believe in what was written down in front of her, words which finally made her fears come to life, those fears that she had managed to push away to the furthest corner of her mind for all these years. Her eyes continued scanning the gracefully swung words that were already so familiar to her that she could recite them. _Frankly, I'm scared, Serenity. I'm scared for my galaxy, I'm scared for my people, I'm scared for myself. But you will understand that nothing compares to the horror I feel upon thinking that this might touch my daughter and destroy her along its way. I'm begging you to take her to you. Your kingdom and your power rivals no other. I could never live with it if I put her under the danger that is not only so quickly approaching, but that is also already amongst our midst. I ask this of you humbly, as your friend, as a queen, as a mother._

_My__ dearest wishes,_

_Queen Kakyoku_

Her hands shaking, she couldn't bring her eyes to leave the words written on the pieces of paper clasped between her fingers. She could take no more of those words today, they stung inside of her, made her more scared than she would ever openly admit, yet it was minutes of silence before she could finally force herself to lower the paper to her table. Oh, why, why did everyone always assume that all would be well here, under her reign, as long as she was here? Closing her eyes, she grimaced, laughing bitterly to herself. She knew the answer after all. Because they still believed her to be someone she was not.

A slight knock could be heard at the door, making her head snap up up. "Yes?"

"Can I come in Serenity?" a friendly voice asked as a black haired woman opened the grand doors.

"Of course, Armina. Please enter", the addressed replied softly, straightening her back, not willing to show any sign of the weakness she still felt gnawing inside of her.

A woman entered the room. Armina too had grown older, just as she herself, the queen thought to herself. Soft lines around her eyes and mouth, and strands of silver in her otherwise pitch black curls showed that she had seen and done much in this life of hers.

"Armina, I'm sorry to have called you at such an unearthly hour," the queen said, trying to smile apologetically. "But – take a seat first of all – I need you to read this over." Waiting for her advisor to sit down across from her, the queen ever so slowly inched the several pages of paper across the table in between them. Armina studied her face for a moment, before reaching for the paper covered in red ink. Watching Armina intently, the queen leaned her head on her hands, her mind working as she surveyed the emotions cross over Armina's face; first the mild curiosity and interest, then the disbelief and finally the shock and horror, the fear.

Looking up from the letter, Armina's eyes fixed calmly on the queen's, only her shaking hands betraying her inner turmoil. "What does this mean, Serenity?" she asked carefully.

The queen remained silent for several minutes, her hands now clasped in her lap, twisting ceaselessly, before finally saying, "I believe that we shall be expecting visitors soon," knowing perfectly well, that it was not the answer to the question Armina had asked.

--

The fair Princess of the Moon cursed under her breath as she pressed herself up against a tree, trying to disappear in its shadows. Even though the sun was sinking already and she was standing in the shadows, she was scared of being seen.

"I really hate you," she whispered to the cloaked figure beside her.

"Oh, you know you don't mean that," a young woman replied, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder. "And now stop complaining. Nothing can happen to us after all, it's completely deserted here. And the sun's already gone down too. Put on your cloak and no one will see you in the dark."

"But … Rei!" Usagi wailed.

"_Serenity!_" she said with force, reverting to the formal name of her companion, a thing she only did when she was angry. "Don't make such a fuss! Now, put your cloak on so we can finally go."

Usagi's eyes narrowed at Rei's choice of name, before pushing out her lower lip, a pout forming on her face. "Go? I'm not going anywhere!" she screeched.

"Usagi! You promised!" Rei hissed, her voice menacing even though it was so low.

Usagi opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again. The problem was that she _had_ promised to accompany and help her friend. And yet at the same time she had also promised never ever to use the room Rei had dragged her to without permission. The moment her friend had sensed the yes forming on her lips, she had been dragged off by the Princess of Mars and led down many steps and stairs she knew she should not be passing at any cost. The Room of Teleportation lay behind many doors and corridors which were sealed to the eyes of almost all people in the palace. Normal transportation, if from city to city, planet to planet, or from one end of the galaxy to the other, did not take place here, there were all kinds of vehicles for that. The Room of Transportation was a vast room with a high ceiling held up by enormous pillars, engraved with signs and runes of old and already unknown languages. It was one of the many mystical dwellings the Moon Palace had been built upon; it was ancient, and had existed for as long as anyone could remember. It held great power – and the way it mostly was with these things, it also held great danger. You needed magic of the greater kind, and authority to put the power the room possessed to one's use. Her powers were nothing in comparison to Rei's, she knew that, but her friend had needed a true Lunarian along with her, as entrance was only allowed to them.

She guessed that they were more than lucky that they had not only managed to go unnoticed but to actually end up where they had wanted to. Or actually rather where Rei had wanted them to go. Because truth be said, Usagi was scared as hell. Scared of having intruded the sacred grounds her home stood upon and where she knew she was not to set foot in, scared because this planet seemed so menacing and uninviting with its many dark nooks and shadows, and ever so scared of being found out. Oh, why did she never _think_ before speaking words carelessly? Why couldn't she just once think of the consequences her careless words might lead to?

"Usagi, come on."

But, what was done was done. Usagi gulped down some cold air of the night before nodding, trying to feel brave, slipping the heavy cloak the black-haired female had brought along for her with them over her long silken dress. Reaching for Rei's hand, she nodded once more.

"Do you know where we have to go?"

Rei nodded crisply, and started walking down a small trodden path Usagi hadn't seen before. They continued walking in silence, passing trees and wild flowers, which were strange to her eyes. The darkness of the night had covered everything in sight with its inky shadows, making every branch look like a threatening, gnarled hand which was only waiting for a moment of inattention to reach out for them, grab them, devour them.

The small, winding path eventually led them to a wide clearing in the wood they were walking through. The grassy meadow stretched far far ahead, the open space stretching out in all directions. In its centre, a small area was enclosed by an ancient looking brick wall. The bricks must have been a deep red once upon a time, but time had gnawed at them, the sun bleaching the red to an orange colour in some, and to a sandy colour in other places. Their crumbling texture had allowed vines to grow on the bricks, and by the looks of it they had been going strong at it for years. It looked like a soft green blanket was covering the wall. The grass and wild flowers stood high to each side of the walls, trying to tickle their calves, and the star-filled sky above them was reflected in a small brook that flowed near by them, bubbling mirthfully.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

It was the first time since they had arrived, that Usagi somehow appreciated the beauty the strange planet had to offer. "Yes, I guess it is. Oh but look at the sky, it feels sort of wrong to see the Moon up in the sky instead of the Earth, doesn't it?"

Rei nodded. "I'm so glad it is beautiful here. He loved beauty," she whispered after a minute, her eyes fixed on the iron gates that marked the entrance to the enclosed space. Usagi gulped. Oh she had known that she would hate this part, that her heart would beat unbearably, that she'd be torn in between feeling guilty because she wanted to go home when her friend needed her the most and feeling terrified for herself. She didn't think she was ready for this. All the trouble she would presumably get into, seemed very unimportant and faraway at this exact moment. She should be the strong one here, she should be supportive, not the other way around, for Rei was now nudging her softly, clearly sensing her unease.

Straightening her back she tried to regain her composure, before following Rei's lead towards the winding iron gates. They looked far too grand for a cast away place like this that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Runes and carvings were engraved on the spindly iron, beautiful stones embedded in them.

Rei's hand rested softly on the handle of the gates. Closing her eyes for a minute, she listened to the silence around her, focused on the beauty surrounding her, feeling for the essence of things. And already it seemed to her, that a familiar presence, the one she would dream about every day, the one that hunted her mind, the one that she hadn't _really _felt in too long arise in her.

Pushing down the handle, the gates creaked softly in the slight breeze as she opened them. She walked on steadily, afraid that if she would stop, she might not make it all the way. But her feet knew their way. She had not been here very often, but she had trod this path many more times in her dreams than she had ever done in real life.

Avoiding roots and other tombstones, she drew close to one located in the far right. It was a simple white stone that had an almost raw look to it, only few words carved into it.

_Jedite. 994 – 1016._

As her eyes traced the words, her legs crumpled beneath her, sobs welling up in her chest, a hot pain searing through her every fibre. It had been three years, _three _long years since he had died – and still the pain felt as fresh and as raw as it had on that first day that she had been told.

She had met him when she was only 15, and they became lovers not long after that. Things were somehow easier with him, life made sense in a way it had not done before. She knew that they belonged to each other, they complemented one another in their shared silences as much as in their quarrels, in passion as much as in conversation. And they both shared the burden of never being able to ever completely put the other first, for their duty bound their life to the one they were destined to protect until the very end, he bound to his prince, she bound to her princess. And it was that duty that had sent him to the far away planet of death, where the revolutions were at their cruellest three years ago. Official news had long stopped coming through, for after two years of fighting one cruel battle after the next nothing uplifting could be said anymore about the situation, hope was dwindling fast, and the fear that more revolutions would start up somewhere else grew with every day. He was among the last to leave for the doomed battle. She remembered the day so well, how she had hated seeing him off, the feeling in her gut screaming 'NO' as loud as it had never done before. It had been the last time that she had seen him, the last time that she had felt his lips upon hers, the last time she had smelt his scent, felt his warmth.

Oh these memories were merciless. Three years! Three goddamn years and the grieving had not gotten any easier like everyone else kept telling her, every image of him etched into her mind painfully, the sorrow sometimes welling up out of nowhere. Why could things not have remained easier? Why did she have to lose him on top of everything else she had been forced to give up in her life?

Raw sobs racked her chest, tears running down her hot cheeks. It was not until she felt someone take seat beside her in the grass that she tried to gulp down some of the pain that was escaping through her throat.

Usagi stared at the tombstone in front of her with wide eyes. She had never been here before. She had never been asked to come along before, but had never made the suggestion herself either. Something inside of her tugged painfully at her heart, as she watched this horrible scene, in which her friend was the lone actor. She had barely known this man, liking him well enough when she saw him, never thinking about him when he wasn't around. There was so much she didn't know about this man, this lover of her friend, who lay buried deep in the earth beneath them, his body rotting away to nothing, his soul long gone.

Her hand slowly inched towards Rei's, her fingers clasping ever so tightly around hers. She could feel so many words bubbling up inside of her, I am so sorry, I am so sorry, so horribly sorry for everything, I am so sorry that I feel like my heart is breaking too, I never asked about him while he was there to love you, and I never dared to once he was gone, I was so scared of hurting you more, but I think what I did was the worst what I could do, I feel like such a shit, I feel like such a horrible friend who doesn't deserve you. But she bit the words back with all her might, her fingers trembling around Rei's.

--

Running a hand through his dark hair, he yawned widely. He had been up for far longer than 24 hours and really could not wait until he finally reached his final destination for the day. But he never passed this route without making a small detour, had never not stopped at the iron gates, and walked to the grave that held the body of one of his generals, one of his guardians, one of his friends.

Sighing, he dismounted from his horse, patting its side softly, reaching forwards to tie the reins to a tree close by, before setting off by foot. A faint sound in the distance made him stop abruptly though. Squinting in the darkness, he tried to make out what was causing the disturbance of the grass, the crackle of dry twigs being stepped on.

"Are we there yet?" He heard the voice softly in the distance.

"No, Usa."

Two women were walking away from the small, hidden graveyard he had been heading to, the graveyard that was reserved for people who had fallen while doing their duty for the Earth Kingdom. Many people he knew had found their resting place here, and he came by on a rather regular basis. Up to now he had never met another living soul here, and it not only startled but very much worried him to see these two figures heading towards him. Grimacing he kept his hand close to his sword before taking up his pace in their direction.

"Don't worry, we'll be home in a second."

'Home?' he wondered. He knew these parts well, as he did most of his kingdom, and he was certain that there were no settlements to speak of or even lone houses close by. Ever since long ago the place had been chosen to serve as a new graveyard, people had avoided the area at large, the magic hanging heavily in the air around it.

The voices slowly faltered, and he saw two faces stare into his direction. They seemed as startled as he himself was to find them here. Staring at each other, the three people stood very still, instinctively feeling that the presence of the other was somehow not right. The wind had started up in the past half hour, making their travelling cloaks billow around them. The wind howled for a second, whipping off the one woman's hood.

Stormy eyes looked at him, hostility etched into her face. Her dark hair whipped around her body, a certain threat emanating from her body.

"Don't be afraid, I won't do you any harm," he said loudly, though it was obvious that this young woman was in no way afraid of him.

No words answered his own, and he had not really though they would. Taking two more steps towards them, his hand still hovering by his sword, he raised his voice once more. "What are you two doing here this late?"

"Ah …" the smaller woman fidgeted nervously, her fingers seeking those of the other one who was still silently glowering at him.

"That is not to be of your concern," Rei said harshly while clasping her companions fingers in what she hoped to be a soothing manner. It would have been too easy if something like this hadn't happened. She knew that with being here she was getting them into an enormous amount of potential trouble. The time to get away from here had definitely come, this stranger appearing out of nowhere did not feel like a good sign at all.

He smiled at her. He had not expected much of a different answer after all. So he tried again, to at least get some clue of what he was dealing with here. "May I at least know who you are then?"

"We are just some peasants," Rei replied calmly, her voice not betraying how her thoughts were going around in louder growing circles, telling her to just get the hell out of here. On top of that, the sky was starting to cloud over, something they really did not need right now. Her power was just about enough to get them forth and fro, but without the energy of the moon to guide her, she wasn't sure just where they'd end up at all.

"I see." He raised an eyebrow at her, but said no more. Who was she trying to fool? She looked nothing like a peasant. Her hair was long and silken, and she held herself perfectly. And even though she was wearing a long cloak, he could see a fine golden necklace she was wearing. A red, brilliantly glittering stone was embedded in the tear-shaped pendant on it. Even though it was simple, the necklace looked far too exquisite for a peasant.

"And who may you be?" she asked him in return, breaking her stare from him for the first time to glance around, checking if there were more strangers lurking in the shadows.

"That is not to be of your concern," he quoted her.

Her head snapped back to him, her eyes cross, ready to reply, when the other woman tugged on her arm.

"Just leave him be. We should _really_ get going, Rei," Usagi said. Her voice was very soft and melodic, though it rang with worry now, and made him focus on her for the first time instead. She seemed somewhat a girl still, her dark cloak not managing to hide her petite figure and delicate features. Her blue eyes looked beseechingly at this Rei, her hand tucking at Rei's. Silvery blonde tendrils of hair escaped from her hood, and there was the strangest shimmer of gold on her forehead. Tilting his head, something gnawed inside of him, a feeling that he was stupid not to recognize her. The feeling grew stronger the longer he looked at her.

"I know," Rei muttered, nodding. Leading the way, they quickly continued walking down the trodden earth path, past the young man. "Farewell, sir," she said, raising her eyes to him once more before they brushed past him hurriedly.

Still lost in thought, he let them walk by without an answer, without trying to stop them, his hand still resting on his sword. Oh, why couldn't he put his finger on it? Something about this all wasn't right. He was missing a puzzle piece, a puzzle piece he only had a faraway recollection of, a puzzle piece he _knew_ all the same though. Shaking his head, he grumbled under his breath. This was stupid. He was just drained from this more than tiring day; it wouldn't be the first time that his mind was playing tricks on him.

He turned around; to talk to them once more, to return the farewell, to try and question them, or to stop them he didn't know. But there was no one to turn to anymore. He stood alone in grassy clearing, the two young women nowhere to be seen.

--

I'm happy with everything I get; suggestions, wild suspicions, ideas, requests, complaints, and well, I'll just laugh at stupid, mindless flames, so if you don't like what you see, tell me in whole sentences and in a cultivated language, alright?

Cheers ;) Greta


	3. Chapter II

So without much further ado, the second chapter.

Disclaimers as usual.

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Two

by Greta

--

Silence was everything there was to keep her company, and it had been that way since time existed. Her magenta eyes narrowed at the fog slowly drifting around her, leaving her surroundings cool and damp. Raising the elegantly crafted staff clasped in her gloved hand, she brought it down swiftly to the hard ground beneath her. The sound echoed strangely around her, seemingly carrying into all of eternity.

"Who comes to tread upon the holy grounds time rests upon?" she spoke clearly, never once leaving the small stirring in the fog out of her eyes. "Answer!"

"Pluto … The loneliest of all. Trapped to guard the gate of time for all of eternity, not once knowing what it is, to live a normal live. Don't you wish … Don't you wish it could be another way?" The voice of a woman spoke not only clearly, but mockingly. Footsteps could be heard, moving closer to the senshi.

Pluto snarled. "I will ask you only once. What do you want?"

"Oh dear, dear Pluto. Tut tut. I thought you'd greet guests more warmly. There can't be many of them. All your little senshi friends seem to have better things to do, don't they? Living their lives for instance."

"Time is my life," Pluto said, unmoved.

"Isn't it sad? I'd even say pathetic."

Raising the tall staff with the ornate orb atop of it, she swung it as gracefully in her hands as a sword fighter, bringing it down upon the ground with a deafening sound. Time seemed to crackle around her, vibrating and threatening.

"Pathetic, yes?" the tall senshi whispered, her fuku whipping around her.

"Yes."

Time grumbled, growled, and did not need a mouthed word from Pluto to attack the intruder.

But it was too late. All that had been left to attack was a mocking laugh, and the tiniest of golden crystals on the ground.

--

A knock on the door made the Queen look up from her desk.

"Enter, enter."

Armina entered, looking troubled.

The Queen sighed at the sight of her worried eyes. "Please, _please _do tell me something pleasurable. That the rose gardens have suddenly burst into bloom again. That the Princess has gotten the sudden urge to show manners and grow up. Something. Just no more bad news. I can't take it right now."

Armina let out a shaky breath, feeling as responsible as if every bad thing happening was her own fault. Oh, how she would like to tell Serenity something nice. How she would like to burst into her Queen's office, telling her something thrilling, something funny, something exciting, the way she used to do when she was younger. Oh, it seemed so long ago. A lifetime even.

"I'm so sorry, Serenity," she whispered, before raising her eyes to look at her Queen.

"It's alright, Armina. Forgive me. I'm not acting like the ruler of a kingdom." Smiling ever so slightly, she urged Armina to go on.

"Pluto has come. She would like to talk to you."

"Pluto? But, …" The Queen sat down in her seat abruptly again. Pluto. The Guardian of Time and Space. The Lonely Senshi. Was it this bad already? "Is she here already? Or should I go to see her?"

"No, Queen, she sent note that she would be here shortly. She said you should not attempt to go through the door of time under any circumstances," Armina replied, feeling that this was indeed the most un-pleasurable news that she could bring.

And she was quite right. Resting her forehead on her hands, Serenity leaned forwards on her desk, signalling for Armina to leave.

The advisor bit her lip while curtsying, even though her Queen's mind was obviously elsewhere and had never cared much for these formalities, before she left the large room which dealt as her Queen's office, letting the Lunarian Guards close the tall white doors behind her.

--

On the other side of the palace, a young princess was still sleeping ever so deeply, dreaming strange dreams. Even though the sun was already shining brightly into her room, it did not help in waking Usagi at all. Curled up tightly in a mass of pillows and blankets, her hair tussled, she looked as normal as any girl her age, only the small golden crescent on her forehead ever betraying who she really was.

Gasping suddenly, her eyes shot open abruptly, her hands fighting at the blankets tangled around her, the panic rising as she did not succeed in freeing herself right away, sheer terror creeping through every vein in her body, making her breath shorten and the tears come to her eyes.

It was only when she had finally unravelled herself, half jumping half crawling from her bed, feeling the carpeted floor under her bare feet that she realized that she was in her own room, and not still trapped in her gruesome dreams. The panicky feeling that had risen in her and the memories that had made the sick rise in her throat slowly subsided as she realized that she had been dreaming, just dreaming. Just a dream, just a dream, she repeated forcefully to herself, over and over again, until the horror and most of all the urge to scream started ebbing away from her body.

"Just a dream … just a dream," she continued whispering to herself. Putting on her slippers and dressing-gown, she slowly started combing her hair with her fingers while walking around her room, trying to soothe her beating heart.

It had been a gruesome dream. War had raged on her beloved moon. A war she had seen in its every disgusting detail. Masses of armoured men attacking each other mercilessly, magic crackling menacingly in the air, bodies crumpling lifelessly to the ground, barely one of them in one piece, the earth beneath them soaked with blood.

She clenched her eyes shut, gnawing at her lips. But the worst had been the stench. The cold disgusting smell of death, of decaying bodies, of far too much blood. There was no escaping it, no escaping the stench and the sound. Those awful screams of pain, the cold clinking of weaponry, still rang in her ears, making it hard for the cheerful words that were suddenly directed at her reach her.

"Good morning, dearie," her plump chambermaid called out cheerily, as she pushed open the doors to her chamber with much gusto and positive energy, ripping Usagi from her thoughts too quickly.

"Good morning, Magda," Usagi greeted her slowly, after a few moments of silence in which she had to try with all her might to muster the energy to speak those words.

"Why, you still look awfully tired, Princess! Couldn't you get to sleep last night?" The small woman patted her arm, smiling up at her, before attacking her bed, tutting about its messiness.

"Something like that," Usagi mumbled under her breath, only now recalling her little 'evening-stroll' with Rei only a few hours earlier.

"Oh don't you worry about a thing, Magda is here!" she said with a laugh while working away at making the bed. Looking up at her Princess, a plump cushion in her arms, Magda motioned at the far end of the room, where the bathroom was. "There's nothing a warm bath can't fix, I say! And while you go and freshen yourself up, I'll get you a good breakfast! Now, how does that sound?" She was still smiling brightly at Usagi.

"It's already so late, I guess?" Usagi asked sheepishly, a small smile finally finding its way to her lips as well. Magda was too bright of a sunshine to ignore.

Magda winked at her, smiling back. "Well, they had their breakfast downstairs a couple of hours ago, yes."

Usagi couldn't help but laugh, before making her way to the room Magda was still motioning too. The thoughts of a refreshing bath, a hot cup of tea and a large breakfast helped wonders in pushing away the horror of her dreams to the furthest possible corner of her mind.

--

"My Queen," Pluto addressed the older woman respectfully, before curtsying in front of her.

The Queen nodded at the senshi, indicating for her to stand up. "Pluto, I'm glad to see you," Serenity said, smiling warmly at her, trying to hide her worry.

"Queen, I am afraid I don't have any good news."

The Queen nodded, sighing. "I rather thought so. Please sit down, and tell me what there is to say."

Pluto moved forward, her staff still clasped tightly in her hand. Seating herself opposite the Queen, she slowly edged closer to the Queen's magnificent desk made out of the palest wood imaginable.

Letting her arm hover shortly above her staff, it shrank away until nothing but the brilliant red orb was left, which hovered silently in the air. Moving her now free arm across the table towards the Queen, she slowly made her hand into a fist, closing her eyes, before opening her fingers once again and letting golden dust trickle unto the desk.

The Queen raised her eyebrows in wonder, before letting her hand graze through the strange dust.

"What … ?"

"Someone intruded the Grounds of Time today. The person came and left without me being able to trace where from and to." Pluto leant closer to the Queen. "Serenity, no one should have the power to do that. No one. And not only that, she was fast. I don't know if time even scratched her when I attacked." There was not only worry, but definite anxiousness in her voice. "This," she indicated at the golden dust "was all that was left behind of her. Nothing more but these tiny golden crystals. Even though they're so minuscule, they are some of the most exquisite I have ever seen."

The Queen nodded slowly, before asking the one question on her mind. "She?"

Pluto let out a rattling sigh, before nodding. "I believe it might be her."

--

Moving about a small stand which sold various goods, a young woman was carrying heavy crates forth and fro, her deep red hair getting in her way once more. Angrily stopping to pull it back, she sighed. It was such a hot day, and she felt horribly uncomfortable. Her woollen dress made every part of her body it touched scratch. Her back ached from a hard days work, and sweat was trickling down her smooth neck. Her hands, hardened from her daily work, brushed angrily at her hair. And she had barely sold anything that day. Again.

Either it was the horrible heat that had been plaguing their village for the past few weeks, or her customers had just all wandered off to other stands. Or, they just didn't have enough money, just like her.

They lived on Earth. The oh-so-lovely blue planet. With its wonderful kingdom, who always said to be endlessly proud of its people and their beautiful planet.

"My ass," the young woman muttered angrily under her breath, roughly pulling one crate atop of the other.

As if her King and Queen gave a damn about her. Did they help her, when she didn't know how to live through the following day? Did they save her from her father's beating, when she didn't bring home enough money by the end of the day? Instead of caring for the people they always talked so much and highly about, the royalties were just sitting in their grand palace in the far capital of the kingdom, barely any normal person had every been to, having a glorious life without any trouble at all.

Animated by her negative thoughts, she brought her hand harshly down on a wooden crate, promptly cutting her hand on the rough wood and nails. Blood started trickling down her hand almost immediately.

"Ouch," she hissed under her breath, glaring at no one in particular. Oh, what she would give for another life.

Suddenly a cloaked figure caught her eye, which was making its way to her stand. Straightening up, she ignored the stabbing pain in her right hand.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely, trying to keep all of her felt anger and frustration out of her voice.

The cloaked person did not reply, but instead moved about the small stand, fingering the baskets, and edible goods like grain and fruit with delicate hands. The young woman eyed those hands carefully; they were pale hands, with long fingers and golden fingernails. So it was a woman. A woman who did not fit here at all, if her whole person was as her hand was. Foreign, cultivated, and worst of all, rich.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the cloaked woman. Why on earth was she wearing a cloak? It was horribly hot, especially at this time of the day, when the sun was at its highest. This woman irritated her. Maybe because she seemed to be something better. Most likely because she envied her.

"Can I help you?" she repeated once more, this time impatiently and aggressive.

"Now, now … Why so angry, my dear Beryl?" the woman lowered the large woollen hood of her cloak, which had hidden her face until now completely. Her face was so pale and beautiful that it seemed to be carved out of marble. But the two deep red eyes looking out of that beautiful face at her held such hatred, such cruelty that it took her breath away.

"How do you know my name?" Beryl gasped, backing away. She did not know why terror was flooding her veins, and why her pulse was rising so fast, as the strange woman was not doing anything except staring at her, a small smile growing on her lips.

"Oh, Beryl, Beryl … I know so much more about you than you could ever guess." Slowly, ever so slowly, she moved behind the stand to where Beryl stood. "Dear Beryl," she whispered. She wasn't much taller than Beryl was, but still she emanated such power, such awful power it made Beryl feel smaller with every step the odd woman made in her direction.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked in between clenched teeth.

The woman smiled mirthfully, before raising her hand to graze Beryl's neck with her long fingernails. "Oh, haven't you guessed yet?" And with unbelievable strength, she tightened her hand around the younger woman's neck, making her gasp out, trying to shout, scream, anything. But no sound came.

Her face cold and her eyes ablaze, she whispered one word. "You."

--

Oh, you know how to please me! Leave a note, say what you think, and continue reading. ;)

Greta


	4. Chapter III

And on it goes, … ;)

Usual disclaimers.

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Three

by Greta

--

Two women were walking down one of the grand corridors of the Moon Palace, seeming to know their way easily around. Though they were chattering with ease, there was a certain strain to their conversation.

"Does the Queen know that we've already come?"

"I hate to say it, but I'm not so sure," the shorter woman replied, her silken, turquoise, hair swaying slightly with her steps. She was dressed exquisitely in silken robes, a splendid necklace gracing her milky-white neck. Her companion on the other side seemed to want to leave all womanly charm to her companion, with whom she was locking arms.

Tousling her short dirty-blonde hair, Haruka sighed. She hated this. Leaving her post, the post the Queen had assigned to her, without notice. She knew that she had no other choice, but her sense of duty still made her feel squeamish.

Both sighing, they stopped in front of craftfully carved gull-wing doors guarded by two heavily armoured Lunarian Guardians. Upon recognizing the two Princesses they bowed, before opening the doors slowly while announcing their arrival.

"The Princess of Neptune and the Princess of Uranus have arrived, Queen Serenity."

The Queen looked up in surprise upon hearing the doors to her vast Office of Affairs opening. She had not been expecting visitors. Standing up to greet the Guardians of the Outer Planets, she smiled.

"What a pleasant surprise, my dears," she said warmly.

Uranus and Neptune exchanged guilty looks, as it was not to be the most pleasant of surprises.

"Oh, don't look like that, you two. I can guess that your news is not bound to be the best. But, it is a nice coincidence; I have needed to speak to you two on important matters anyway," the Queen said seriously, motioning for them to sit down. "So, please tell me, what has brought you so far."

Michiru sighed, twisting her hands in her lap. "Two strange things have happened in the past few days. The more serious being, that an unidentified source has crossed the border of the galaxy." Lowering her deep blue eyes to her lap, the Princess of Neptune felt the disappointment she had felt in herself ever since she had found out about this intruder rise once more. Oh, how she hated this! She and Uranus were the Guardians of the Outer Planets, and with that the Guardians of the borders to the Solar System. For this task, they had received powers the Inner Senshi had not – and still! They had not been able to do a single thing to stop happening what had happened.

She felt unworthy, why, even dirty. She had not done what she felt was her duty to do with all her heart. Therefore it surprised her tremendously, when the Queen did not seem to be shocked, or even surprised in the slightest.

"I'm sad to disappoint you, but that news is not new to anymore," the Queen mumbled, resting her chin upon her folded hands. "Pluto has already informed me."

Uranus sat up abruptly. "What? Pluto? What has happened?"

"The intruder attacked Pluto on the Grounds of Time."

"But, but they couldn't have …" Michiru mumbled under her breath, the shock of this news making her close her eyes. Her fingers closed around the pendant on her neck, the runes carved on the jewel's setting under her fingers giving her reassurance. "The Gate and Grounds are so heavily protected by ancient Lunarian magic." And indeed they were. There was barely another place in the whole galaxy, which was under heavier protection. Countless invisible borders, made the Grounds for all non-magical and uninvited people inaccessible; they would not be able to feel the presence of the Gates if they stood right in front of it. Ancient Lunarian magic, from back when time had only begun, had sealed it, not only to protect anyone who came to close to it, but also to protect people from the way time might react to an intruder.

And most of all, there was the Guardian of Time herself.

"I know … I know. If this goes any farther, I might have to take up drastic measures."

"Drastic measures?" the fair-haired senshi asked carefully. Whatever drastic measures meant, it definitely did not sound good at all.

"Until the day comes, I will not talk of it," the Queen replied with force, leaving no room for questions. She did not like thinking of it at all, but she knew if the time came, she had to do what must be done.

"Yes, my Queen," they mumbled in unison. They knew when it was the time to not ask any further.

"Now," the Queen began speaking softly again. Folding her hands beneath her chin once more, the Queen thoughtfully chose her words. "We do not have time to spare in times like these. I want you to return to your posts immediately, and report anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, just as fast." The addressed women nodded.

"But, what might even be more important now is, that I need you to guard Saturn." The two young women gasped.

"Saturn? But there hasn't been any commotion on Saturn in years and years, my Queen …"

"It's not the public rebels I'm talking about. It's Saturn herself," the Queen had lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. The wind outside the tall windows was whipping trees harshly about, adding to the anxious atmosphere growing in the room between the three people in it.

"But … but Queen," Haruka said, while grasping Michiru's hand. "Saturn's star seed is sealed in the tomb of her Ancestors and it is under the heaviest protection magic can bring."

"And yet, I am not taking any risks whatsoever! If she awakes … Oh I cannot bear to think of it! I will not allow her to awake, I just will not!" The Queen's voice had risen, becoming more and more animated. Taking a deep breath, the Queen tried to relax. "I just cannot …"

Lowering her eyes to her hands resting on her imposing desk, she felt slight shame rise in her body for losing her composure so easily. Twisting her arms, she studied her hands and fingers. They were becoming older, she thought. She was becoming older. Finest streaks of grey had started lacing her fair hair, and the lines in her face were becoming deeper. She could care less about her appearance, but during the last few days, she had felt old. And she had realized that feeling old, was a thousand times worse than looking it. Oh, where had the days of happily ruling her kingdom gone? Now, she dreaded entering her office, dreaded reading the news each new day brought.

She did not know how much longer she could keep the bad news from seeking into her kingdom at broad, how much longer she could hoard it all and keep it to herself. Oh, how she hated this situation.

Lifting her eyes at the two beautiful women seated across from her, she let out a little sigh, silently apologizing for her rise of temper. "So, now your mission is not only to oversee that the borders are being guarded to their fullest extent, but also to keep Saturn from awakening."

Haruka was still clasping Michiru's hand tightly, the feeling of the other girls' pulse beneath her fingers soothing her. She could feel the Queen's tiredness, anxiousness and the strain underneath it all. "Of course we will, my Queen. We will do all that we can, stopping at nothing to do as you command." Her voice was serious, her head held proudly, making the Queen think of an ancient statue of the Goddess of War. For indeed Uranus would stop at nothing.

"Not even at our lives," Michiru added calmly, but with dead earnest.

Hearing those calm words made sadness overcome the Queen. So, these women would give their lives, not once complaining about what they were leaving behind for that sacrifice? "I am so sorry, so sorry, to put this weight upon your shoulders, Michiru, Haruka. So sorry …" the Queen whispered hopelessly.

The two Outer Senshi smiled slightly at the Queen. They knew their duty. They were senshi with all their heart, and loved their kingdom and Queen. And they most definitely would do anything, anything at all, to protect it until the bitter end.

"My Queen," Haruka stated softly, "we have one more thing to tell you."

The Queen sighed. "Oh, yes, you said so at the beginning," the Queen said, remembering. "Please, do go ahead." Well, she knew that the news could not get much worse.

The Princess of Uranus sighed, tousling her short hair with one hand once more. "Two people who were not of age were in the Room of Transportation yesterday," she began slowly. "And, well, used it, to travel to Earth." The Queen shook her head at the thought of the irresponsible youths.

But Haruka was not done yet. "As – as we traced Lunarian magic, we have reason to believe that it was the young Princess." Haruka did not like telling on her Princess like this. No, not at all as she felt guiltier than ever. But she knew that it was her duty to do so.

But the guilt remained, especially when she saw the Queen's shocked and angry eyes.

--

"Usa, you are a lazy toad!" Rei yelled at her friend, before firing a pencil in her direction. The Princess easily ducked the flying object, and stuck out her tongue.

"Am not!" she whined.

"And a baby!"

"Rei … Stop it!"

"Will you two stop arguing?" Ami sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose while turning a page in the book in front of her. "You are both babies – yes you _and _you –" she continued, pointing at the respective person, as they both protested loudly, " and – even though I won't go as far as calling you two toads – you're_ both_ lazy as well. So stop it. We're here to learn!"

Rei and Usagi both looked at Ami in surprise, but the blue haired Princess had already turned back to her book, now ignoring them both.

"Well, Ami has spoken, ladies, and I don't see the need of adding any more to what she said." Artemis, their teacher smiled at the girls, who were now also turning back to their books, after their small argument, as Usagi had been late for their lessons.

As soon as Artemis had wanted to pick up their subject of the day once more, a knock on the door echoed through the room, before Luna appeared in the doorway, smiling.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you all, but the Queen has asked me to go fetch the Princess Serenity, and wants her to come immediately."

"Of course. Well, I expect you to go over all that you have missed and will miss in today's lesson in the evening. Have a good day," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand, his typically silver Lunarian hair swinging around his face as he turned back to the other Princesses.

--

Arriving in the Queen's private corridors, she waited for her mother's guards to open the doors and announce her, before entering her mother's chambers.

Usually comfortably lit, the rooms were very dim today, the rainstorm which now raged outside the palace only adding to the darkness. She cautiously walked through the waiting room, passing the silken sofas and large armchairs in the sitting room and the library, crammed with books of ancient languages and stories long forgotten to the last corner, and walked on to her mother's smaller office, in which she often sat late into the dark hours of the night.

As suspected, her mother sat behind her desk, but today, she was not bent over a book or a letter of some sort. No, she was leaning back in her chair, watching Usagi as she entered her room expectantly. The chair was very large and high, and the Princess often joked, that it made her mother look tiny. But she had never known this chair to emit such power, as it did today. The air seemed to crackle around her mother, and the elaborate chair seemed to emanate more power than the Queen's throne.

And suddenly, she felt intimidated. Something she hadn't felt because of her mother in many years now. She gulped. "You, you called for me, Mother?"

"Yes, Princess, I did indeed. Sit down."

So she sat.

"Do you have any idea, why I have called you today, Serenity?"

Usagi shook her head, sensing that the use of her formal name meant trouble. Lots of trouble.

"Well I'll tell you. It has come to my attention that you were rather bored last night."

Usagi's eyes widened in horror. Oh God, oh God. She knew that she had absolutely no way of getting out of this.

"Mama, oh I, I'm so sorry, but, but you see-" she started trying to apologize.

"I do not want to hear it, Serenity. I really do not! How by the Nine Ancient Ones could you do this? There is absolutely no excuse for your actions! Do you know this?" the queen's voice was enraged.

Usagi reconciled, trying to shrink into the chair she was sitting in as far as she could. Why couldn't the ground just open up and swallow her as whole? She knew that she deserved this scolding, she knew it. But it didn't stop her from feeling miserable and wanting to just fade away, _now, _please,

Her mother had now pushed herself out of her chair, hands placed firmly on her desk. The tilted window behind her desk let a cool breeze enter the room, playing with their long hair. Sadly, it did nothing to cool the queen's temper. "Oh, Serenity, I cannot tell you just _how _disappointed I am, I honestly cannot put it into words! How could you use the Room of Transportation? You know how dangerous it is for someone not of age like you to use it, I have told you so often, I can't believe this sheer stupidity! You could have hurt yourself, and could have ended up absolutely anywhere! You could have ended up in Styx for all I know!"

Usagi had honestly never seen her mother quite as enraged as she was in that very moment.

"Serenity, how many things have I forbidden you in your life? You could count them on one hand! And each and every one of these things was for your very own good, nothing more and nothing, nothing less! You have such a privileged life … I never thought you would disobey me like this. I never thought you would disappoint me like this," her mother finished, staring long and hard at her, before sitting back down.

Usagi took a deep breath. Her mother's calmer voice almost scared her more than her enraged one had moments ago. And what was worst of all, her disappointment hurt like nothing else. The queen had now stopped talking to her daughter, instead only shaking her head, her disappointment obvious in every movement. Dark shadows fell on her pale face in the dim room, giving her a strange and ghastly appearance.

Queen and Princess, mother and daughter, looked at each other in silence. Only now did Usagi notice that the howling of the wind matched the tense atmosphere perfectly. Lowering her eyes to the clasped hands in her lap, she felt the shame rise in her rapidly.

"I am very sorry, Mother," she said quietly, meaning it with every syllable.

The queen sighed, lowering herself slowly back into her chair. Oh, she felt so old again right now, so old. In this moment, she had realized that her baby was one no longer. She had realized, that soon she would be of age, and that she could not protect her daughter from harm forever. The world awaited her. Soon the young girl would be in its grasp, experiencing things her mother would and could have no influence on anymore. But while these thought crossed her mind, she most of all just she felt sadness for her child. Thinking back to the days when she was her age, the queen sighed once more. It had been such a carefree time, every day wonderful with all the surprises it could bring. They had been wonderful times. Especially once she had met _him_, Usagi's father. But the queen closed her eyes to those memories quickly, as they never ceased being painful, even after so many years.

"It is the least that I expect of you," she said, acknowledging the apology. "But this cannot stop at that. You will not leave the guarded grounds of the Moon Palace before I allow you to do so again," she continued, lowering her hands to her lap. She knew that she was exploiting this situation somewhat to her advantage, but she really could not care less right now. Startled eyes met her's as she spoke those words. "Don't look at me like that. You have acted wrongly, and you will have to deal with the consequences."

Usagi bit her lip as she lowered her eyes. Be that as it may, but somehow this seemed a bit too much, a bit too unfair. And what use was it to her mother anyways? Locking her inside the palace, inside this golden cage, wouldn't really make a difference. She did not leave the palace on such a regular basis anyways, and this would put no distance between her and that wretched Room of Transportation. But she knew that there was no point in arguing at all. "So, that means I'm allowed in the palace and on the grounds outside?" she asked feebly.

"Exactly. You are not allowed beyond the gates. "

"Yes, mother," Usagi mumbled finally, her eyes still fixed on her hands clasped in her lap.

"I have something else to talk you about as well."

Usagi nodded, showing that she had heard, still not raising her eyes.

"We will be receiving visitors. They shall be arriving shortly, presumably tomorrow afternoon. They are of royal blood as well and I trust you will receive them with respect. You are to tend to them, show them around, make them feel comfortable."

Usagi finally looked up at her mother, who in turn was now not looking at her, pulling out large sheaths of paper from desk's drawers, before starting to address a letter. "Who are they?" she asked timidly.

"The daughter of a very dear friend of mine and her companions. She is the Princess of Kinmkou. I'm not sure how they will be arriving, as I gather things have been rather stressful there for the time being, so I will have a welcoming committee stationed by the Grand Entrance and by the Room of Transportation." Only now did the queen look up at her daughter. "I trust you will be on your best behaviour?"

"Of course, mother. You can count on me", Usagi replied.

"Good. You are dismissed then."

--

Sighing softly, Rei leant back on her chaise-longue, hugging a pillow to her side. Her eyes were focused on the raging storm going on outside the safety of her room, watching it intently through the large double-wing windows at the end of her large chambers. It was one of the worst storms that had been on the moon in quite some time now. Most of the year, the weather on the Moon was not the most exciting, sunshine the whole day long and only mild rain from time to time. Placid, as she liked to call it.

Maybe that was one of reason why she liked Earth. The weather there could surprise you within hours, why even minutes. She savoured the feeling of the powerful and unpredictable wind, tossing her around at its will, the deep grumbling sound of thunder, and most of all, the wonderful smell of rain dampening the earth and woods, making everything fresh and clean. But on the small, white orb circling the blue planet, the weather only raged in the early months of the year. During that time of the year, the days were far shorter than normally, that left the Moon cool and dark.

Oh so what if she came from the planet of fire? The searing hot and blinding light fire brought with it, its overwhelming power and beauty made her who she was, influenced her every move and thought, defined her being in every sense. Yet the rain held some strange power over her that fascinated her just as much.

Sighing, Rei turned her eyes from the tilted windows, and snuggled closer to her pillow. She couldn't get to sleep, no. She had been trying for hours now. And she knew she needed her sleep, as tomorrow held exhausting senshi training for her. But her mind wouldn't let her relax, wouldn't allow her to lose herself in dreams.

She was once again left do dwell and ponder silently. On the feeling in the pit of her stomach that left her broken in two. On being ripped in two by the mere thought, of what she was missing and what was her duty. Oh, she hated herself for thinking it, but she couldn't help herself. At times like these she just wanted to run away as far as she could, leave every one of her goddamn duties behind. Do what _she_ felt was right, and not what others told her was.

She sniffed. Oh, how she wished to go back, so far away, to a happier time. Back to a time where she had still felt carefree. Where she had been able to enjoy every day just the way it was.

She fingered the necklace that graced her smooth throat. The necklace every Princess owned. Made out of the most exquisite gold, it held a crystal from their respectable planet, carved to look like a teardrop. She always found the teardrop rather fitting.

She had shed enough tears over her destiny. But, as she felt the salty drops make their way down her face, she thought, there were always more. And so she wept. For all that was lost, and for all the she had.

--

"Oh, this is just ridiculous. Really …" A male's voice rang out through the high corridors of the palace, echoing loudly.

"_Will_ you shut up?"

"What if I don't want to?"

"You are such a baby!"

"Of, go and fu-"

"Stop it! Both of you." The tallest of the three stared sternly at the two arguing young men, trying to keep his voice as low as possible while still sounding imposing. "Do you have to argue around the clock? It could be anytime whatsoever right, what a grand first impression we'll make, with our luck right in the middle of the night!"

"Could be, it is dark here," the silver-haired young man drawled, very obviously not giving a damn about what impression he might be making.

"We're in a windowless corridor right now, stupid, of course it's dark."

"Don't call me stupid, you idiot" he hissed back at the man he'd already been fighting with before.

Sighing, the brown-haired youth rubbed his temples. "Please, do tell me what exactly I have done to deserve this," he muttered under his breath, as a fight broke out anew. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped between them, continuing where he had left off before being interrupted. "Do you honestly want to make our first appearance as sleep-disturbing, loud, arguing and unfriendly idiots?" he hissed at them, trying to shut them both up.

"Oh, come on, Taiki. Who's unfriendly here? I don't see anyone around here waiting for us or welcoming us, these people here seem to be the ones that have no manners," the shortest of the three sighed, flipping his silvery hair, which was being held back in a ponytail, over his shoulder.

"Maybe, once again, because we arrived at some unearthly hour?"

"Well, it's not like that was our fault," the third one of the group, a handsome, black-haired young mumbled, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he looked around sullenly. "I wonder what Kayoku-sama's hurry was all about," he continued worriedly. "Oh and come on Yaten, you simply took forever to get ready as well."

"Oh, shut it, Seiya. Don't act all mighty, okay? I recall remembering that it was you who totally messed up our destination! I mean, it looks like we ended up in the basement."

"Well I'm very sorry my skills at handling borrowed magic are not up to your satisfaction! You should have just done it yourself!" Seiya snapped back. The two men glowered at each other, obviously ready to tear each other apart, their hands hovering near their swords out of instinct.

"Well, Yaten, it really could be worse, we're just a bit off destination, it's not like we ended up in Styx," Taiki sighed, rubbing his forehead, closing his lilac eyes in frustration. "And will you two just please stop it! You are getting on my nerves! Travelling with you was bad enough, but getting lost is even worse, I have to say that much. "

Seiya rolled his blue eyes at his companion. "Oh, come on, Taiki, as if you're so much better than us." Sighing, he unbuttoned the upper button of his black shirt. Looking around, he marvelled at the extremely high ceiling, and the doors which reached far above their heads. "Well, I hope at least the girls made it safely to their target destination," he said, ignoring Yaten's mumbling of "Well, it should have been _our_ target destination as well" smoothly.

"We would have felt it, had anything happened," Taiki said softly. The three paused for a moment. They knew their special bond to their beloved princess was still intact.

"Well, now to us. We're not in this Room of Transportation Kakyoku-sama told us about," Taiki summed up. The other two nodded their heads, sighing. "Which means," he continued, "we could be practically anywhere in the Moon Palace."

"Well, like you said, that's not exactly bad or anything," Yaten mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest, leaning against the cool stone wall behind him.

Taiki narrowed his eyes. "Well … no," he began. "Somehow I still doubt that we'll find our way around the largest Palace in the whole Solar System simply by instinct though."

"Well no use in talking about it I'd say," Seiya said with a small sigh, running a hand through his unruly hair. "Let's get going." Choosing a direction, he set off, his companions following along.

--

Yeah! Our trio makes an entrance! Aren't you glad?

Oh, and before I forget, the three are 100 percent male. Why? There's a reason behind it. What reason, you may ask? Read on, to find out. ;-)

Cheers, Greta


	5. Chapter IV

Hello dear readers!

Thank you for your reviews; I savour each and every one of them:-) (so keep them coming hint hint nudge nudge)

Today I've got a little request; I would like to address everyone who'd be interested in beta-reading "Live", as I know my English isn't perfect (hey, it's not even my mother tongue). So, I'd gladly welcome someone who would be interested in being the first to read "Live" chapters and edit them to their best! ;-) You can find my e-mail address in my user-lookup!

Now, you know the usual disclaimers, don't you?

Cheers!

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Four

by Greta

--

The storm from the night before had calmed down, leaving only the wind whipping about to tousle the trees and howl mischievously. The sun had finally emerged from behind the menacing clouds that had thundered threateningly during the dark hours of the night, sending its feeble rays of light down to the dampened earth of the Moon.

The lone senshi standing in the middle of the training grounds on the border of the Moon Palace's grounds was breathing in and out deeply. The cold was making goose bumps rise on her bare forearms. The damp earth beneath her feet made her shudder, but she forced herself to keep as still as possible. Her folded arms pressed to her chest, she tried to think of nothing, concentration only on her breathing.

In and out. She felt her lungs fill with the fresh air of a new day, her chest rising, before letting it all go. In and out, in and out, she kept repeating, letting herself fall into a rhythm, a calming, soothing rhythm. Keeping her mind void of all thought, she concentrated on nothing else but her body, feeling her way through every pore. Her petite shoulders rising, her whole body filling with fresh air, strength washing over her whole being.

She could now feel the rising sun behind her closed eyelids. She had been down on the grounds ever since the earliest hours of the day, concentrating, meditating. It wasn't until now, that she suddenly opened her eyes again, letting the fresh light of the day flood her soul.

Letting her arms sink to her side, she continued her concentrated breathing, watching the sunrise that brought a new day along to the Moon. The pale colours of the morning sun spread ever so slowly to every corner of the Kingdom, making the shadows of the night disappear. Ever so slowly the hot orb rose, bringing slight warmth to her cold limbs.

With one last, deep breath, she suddenly moved from the position she had kept for over an hour, shaking her long blonde hair from one side to the other while rolling her head, stretching her body.

"So," she whispered, getting down on one knee. A long object, wrapped in worn leather, lay beside her on the ground. Unfastening the clasp that was wrapped around the object carefully, she enjoyed the feeling of the soft leather beneath her fingers. No matter how many – it must be countless – times she had done this by now, the softness caressing her fingers was wonderful each and every time.

Ever so carefully she lifted one of the leather flaps covering the protected object, then the other. Embedded in its leather covers lay a sword. Carefully picking it up, she pulled it out of its sheath. It was an unusual and glorious sword. Its handle was out of the purest silver, various opals of different sizes were enclosed in the metal, all glinting beautifully in the rising sun. Old runes were carved on the side of the handle, giving the sword a magical appearance.

Letting the silver sheath drop to the ground, she swung the sword around gracefully, making the blade shine in the sun. The blade, long and slim and clear as glass, sliced the air powerfully. The blonde senshi moved gracefully, each step perfectly coordinated with the movement she made with the sword.

She moved swiftly, attacking an invisible foe aggressively, charging forwards, parrying, only to attack once more, moving her lithe body gracefully step for step forward. Her blue eyes focused on the imagined enemy, she let out a cry, her attacks becoming fiercer.

She could feel the sweat trickle down the side of her face, trail down to her neck. Biting her lips, she savoured the feeling of bodily effort, fire burning in her limbs. Each movement made her pulse rise, her breath quicken, the tension in her body grow.

Her feet moved swiftly on the still damp earth, while she concentrated on each and every one of her muscles she required to move the just exactly as she wanted to. She accepted no less than perfection. Narrowing her eyes, she charged forward once more, swinging the sword above her head to deliver the final blow.

And, just as suddenly as she had begun, she stopped her movements, her body still in the position her last attack had left it in.

The Senshi of Venus sighed. Pushing her sweaty hair from off her shoulders, she leaned lightly on the sword.

It was the Sword of Selene, the ancient Moon Goddess. She had been the first ruler of the Moon, and every Queen to the throne was a descendant of her, legend said. Legend also said that she had swung the glorious sword like no other, not one soul surviving her formidable blow.

Nowadays, no one knew exactly since when, it was solemnly given to each reincarnation of the Senshi of Venus, with which she was to protect the Princess of the Moon from all harm. For even though the Princess was the heir to the throne of the most powerful of all galaxies, she had little to defend herself with before she rose to take her place as the Queen.

Minako had often wondered why she handled this powerful sword countless legends ranked about. It seemed just too unreal, even more unreal than being a senshi, to wield the weapon of the great Selene. She loved the art of sword fighting, and had done so even before knowing what her destiny was to be exactly. She remembered watching the Knights of Venus in their golden armour training when she had been a small child all those years ago on her home-planet. The gracefulness with which they swung their weapons, demonstrating their power so dramatically, had fascinated her. She remembered sneaking down to the training-grounds, tripping over her long dress nervously, to stand and watch secretly behind a pillar, fascinated with what she saw, before a nurse found her, ranting about how that was not a thing for a young child and Princess to watch.

Stretching her back, she sighed, staring up into the sky, where the last stars of the night were still sparkling. Only the brightest shone now, with the sun half-risen, and Venus was among them. Staring at her planet, she bit her lip. She never knew if she should miss her home or not. Her parents had been fearfully strict, not allowing anything else than perfect manners from her, ever so seldom leaving room for the childhood she had thirsted after. She knew that she had to stand up to expectations as a Princess, but she had never liked the force and remorseless way of teaching it, the way her parents had done. Since coming to the Moon all those years ago to start her training as a senshi – had it been such a long time now already? Yes, it was. She had been twelve back then, nothing more than a child – she had visited her home only three times, and that, because it had been unavoidable.

Turning away from the star twinkling so beckoningly, she sighed, swinging her sword once more, swishing it through the air sharply.

Yes, she loved the art of sword-fighting. The feeling of power every time her fingers closed around the silver handle of the sword, the bodily exhaustion she felt afterwards.

A sword-fight held a strange, almost unearthly pleasure; all that counted was skill, wit, speed and strength. It was a fight in its purest form, and she loved it.

Why else would she rise when the whole palace still slept, only to concentrate and practice in peace? Relaxing her muscles to avoid getting a cramp, she stifled a yawn. Alright, so she did feel tired a bit. Smiling, she stretched her arms. Oh, but everyone had a secret love of their life they would give anything for, didn't they?

--

Pushing his hand through his short black hair, he let out an angry sigh. Marching through heavily decorated hallways, he passed oak doors after oak doors until he reached the ones his step had been leading to. The loud steps his heavy black boots caused were muffled by the lush, red carpets laid in the corridors of the Earth Palace.

The sun was shining hotly through the double-wing windows, not even the heavy brocade curtains doing much to stop it.

Stopping in front of the desired chambers, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors angrily and without hesitation.

"Mother!" he bellowed into the room, letting the doors shut noisily behind him.

The addressed woman was sitting behind a large wooden desk, bent over pen and paper. Her red-brown wavy hair trailed down her shoulders, while her blue eyes fixed her son critically. "A good day to you too, son," she greeted him. "I do hope you have a reason for bursting in here in such a rude manner, as you have just done." She eyed her tall son expectantly, placing her pen down on her desk.

His eyes narrowed, the young man stormed forward to lean over his mother's desk, eyeing her angrily. "I will not take it, Mother. This is just – just unheard of!"

"What on Earth are you talking about, my dear?" she sighed, unmoved by the way her son was eyeing and talking to her. Sadly, his temper had the tendency to rise and sink in a matter of moments, and she had gotten used to these outbursts.

"This engagement," he whispered angrily.

She raised her delicate eyebrows. Oh dear. Maybe he did have the right to be angry today, she thought. Pondering for a moment, about who she should blame for letting the news slip, she studied her son's angry face. He was a very handsome young man. His short and messy black hair fell boyishly into his blue eyes, making his harsh facial expression soften in her eyes.

"Who told you, dear?"

"That is absolutely beside the point, Mother!" he bellowed angrily, hurt by her indifference to the real importance behind this all. "This is absolutely unjust! I mean, Mother, how could you decide on something like this _behind my back_?" he continued angrily, bringing his right fist forcefully down on the table. "I will simply not take it!" he flung the words angrily at her.

Breathing in deeply for a moment, Gaia considered on how to best calm him down. Closing her eyes, she sighed. "Endymion, take a seat first of all."

The dark-haired youth eyed her critically before pulling up a chair ever so slowly. Letting his body drop unto the cushioned chair, he sighed deeply. "Mother, how could you do this?" he asked quietly. "If you think I should marry, it's alright with me. But I'd have been glad to choose my bride myself." His eyes never left his mother's face, his high temper ebbing away, leaving only disappointment.

"Endymion …" the Queen of Earth sighed. "I can imagine how you feel, but times are desperate."

Endymion snorted. "Well, aren't they always? With every decision made, all I ever hear is, times are desperate, this is for the kingdom, this for the welfare of your people, bla bla – well, I'm sick of it, Mother!" His mood swung around once more, and the young man pushed himself out of the elegant chair forcefully, knocking it to the ground with a crash.

"Endymion!" Gaia mirrored his actions, now eyeing him angrily as well. She knew that her son was bound to be enraged, but this was ridiculous. "You are my son, the Prince of Earth, and the heir to this kingdom! How dare you talk like this? About your kingdom and people!" she hissed angrily.

"Well, maybe I am absolutely sick of being only the future heir to a throne I'd rather not have!"

"Oh, it's not like you ever put any effort into your role anyway," the Queen continued, her anger making her shoulders tense. Positioning her hands unto her desk, she leaned forward, closer to her son. "If you had ever taken your role as Prince and heir seriously, instead of carelessly roaming around with your friends all the time and leaving your duties unattended, you would have known that times are indeed desperate. As desperate as they have never been before," she said accusingly, knowing as she said it that she might be going too far, there not being enough truth in what she was saying about him.

His breathing was quick and angry, and his eyes were filled with an angry fire, but no sound left his lips. His hands dug into the edges of the table, shaking angrily and tensely.

Gaia slowly relaxed her body, straightening her back, cocking her head at her son, before seating herself once more. Lifting her pen, she moved her glance back to the letter she had been writing before her son had burst in and upset her mood.

"You will get to know her soon enough, son. I will not hear one more word of your complaints until you have proved that you are indeed my son and heir to the throne I sit upon. Only then will I allow you to complain."

Endymion closed his eyes. Oh, how he wanted to scream and rage, throw things, yell and argue. But he knew that it was no use. Biting back all the words bubbling up inside him, he continued staring at her smooth face bent over her angular writing in deep-green ink. Her face was very young for her age; no wrinkles lined her face, the thick curls of hairr clinging to her shoulders. Her mouth was clenched tightly, her intelligent eyes thoughtful.

"You are dismissed, Endymion," she said under her breath, not giving him another glance. She only heard his noisy retreat, as he stomped heavily to the doors of her office, slamming the doors shut behind him as forcefully and loudly as he could. Wincing slightly at the sound, she sighed, before rubbing her temples. This might turn out to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

--

She moaned as she felt the harsh bonds which were tying her arms together tightly above her head digging into her wrists, cutting into her skin slowly and ever so painfully. She had stopped trying to free herself, wriggling and twisting harshly from one side to the other, as it only made the bonds dig further into her skin and the pain grow.

Rolling her head from side to side, she desperately tried to find a way to stand that released the hurtful pressure at least for a few moments. But it barely did any good. Letting her chin sink down to her chest, she gulped.

Oh, what had she done to deserve this? She had worked hard all her live, managed the best way that was possible, never sinking so low as to trick or cheat or renounce. Gritting her teeth, she let out a low yowl. So life was treating her unfairly once again! She wanted to laugh and weep at the same time, rage and cry.

So, life, it comes down to this doesn't it – you hate me, don't you? You despise this child you placed on your greedy earth, who was never good enough, no matter what. No matter how hard one may try, no matter what one did. You made every day in my life hell for me, do you know this?

Oh, you do, I know. You rejoice in this knowledge, I know. From the day of my birth to a weak mother, who had less will to live on any longer than the new-born she had given birth to, and a father who did nothing more than drink and grumble, beat and bellow.

You never gave me the gift of carelessness, of enjoying a day for what it brought and gave.

Her eyes closed, Beryl let herself indulge in the bottomless pit of her mind, drowning in her thoughts and memories of the life she had led.

The life she had led which was to be no more. The harsh clacking of high-heeled shoes echoing in her mind kept reminding her of where she was and left her no peace. How had it come this? Why?

"Beryl, Beryl, Beryl," a voice whispered close to her ear, making her head snap up immediately. Sweat her pain and feverish thoughts were causing ran down her heated face, only increasing the uncomfortable position she was in. The woman, who had dragged her to this strange place, was smiling wickedly, letting her long golden fingernails graze the bound Beryl's neck.

Drawing her head back as far as she could, she tried to escape those horrible hands, which were cool and free to move just as the wanted to, very much unlike her own. "Don't you dare touch me, witch," she mumbled, her breath shallow. The addressed woman blinked in surprise before laughing, yet not drawing back her hand as Beryl wished her to do.

"Oh, I should be scared of you, should I?" she said while laughing mockingly at her prisoner.

Beryl's deep brown eyes filled with anger and disgust and she spat at the arm that was too close to her body. The women's laughter stopped immediately, as she looked at her arm in surprise before returning her glance to the culprit's face.

"You're more courageous than I thought you would be," she stated simply, all mock having disappeared from her voice, her face serious. Her eyes narrowed, she moved closer to Beryl, her eyes never once leaving the others' eyes. It seemed as if she wanted to read the thoughts raging in her head, enter her mind.

Raising one delicate hand, she struck the woman with such force, that it literally took Beryl's breath away. Who would have thought that those hands held such strength? Such cruel power? Beryl could feel the blood slowly seep from a cut a ring the woman wore had caused on her struck cheek, slowly mingling with the sweat, and now also tears.

Wiping her hand on Beryl's coarse dress, the woman snapped her fingers with her other hand, which made the unearthly ropes holding the young woman's wrists together tighten painfully and abruptly raise her from the ground.

Beryl gasped, trying to suppress screams of pain the best she could, not wanting to give her tormentor the pleasure of having succeeded in breaking her self-control. She could now definitely feel the skin of her wrists cut open and start to bleed, the thick red liquid now making its way down her arms.

She had no idea how she was bound to the endless pillar that was pressing against her spine, the only thing comfortable about it, that it was smooth and cool against her sweating body. For all she could guess, the cool pillar was one like the many others in the strange room she was in, holding up a ceiling so high, she could not make it out at all.

The vast room seemed to have no beginning and end. All that there was in sight were the many ghastly pillars, which were made out of a strange see-through material and ice-cold.

The woman had moved closer to Beryl once more, seemingly enjoying the pain she was inflicting. Raising her right hand, she stretched her fingers wide. Her palm moving closer to Beryl's chest, she closed her eyes, mumbling a few words Beryl could not understand and had never heard before in her life.

Opening her eyes again, the woman smirked, and pulled her hand slowly away from the bound woman, her forefinger beckoning.

Beckoning? Beryl watched her in confusion, the pain in her body making coherent thought hard enough as it was. And then, all of a sudden, the pain she had felt seconds before was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what she felt now. A scream, wild and full of all the pain the world had ever left her with, escaped her dry and chapped lips, mingling with sobs.

The golden-haired woman smiled, her hand now hovering over a strange source of light which floated in mid-air in-between her and Beryl. Even though it was no bigger than her palm, the strange thing held an exquisite and blinding light, delicately webbed with the finest sparks of red.

Beryl's body had collapsed as far as it could, her chin on her collar-bone, her hair trailing down over her sagged shoulders. Her breath was far too quick for her to breathe comfortably, and the blood from the wound on her cheek had now dripped to the smooth floor. She barely recognized that the floor itself seemed to be made of glass as well.

"Tell me, how does it feel, Beryl?" the woman asked, pushing her prisoner's chin forcefully up with her hand to face her.

The bruised woman had difficulty keeping her vision focused. "I hate you," was all she managed to mumble. With what strength, she had no idea.

"Oh, I thought you would do so," the other one answered, laughing. "Now look. Look. Isn't it beautiful, Beryl?" she said, indicating to the small light still hovering in mid-air. "And Beryl, do you know what this is?" Upon hearing no answer, she indicated to the small light once more, which obediently moved to her open palm.

"It is your light, Beryl. The light of your soul," she whispered, slowly prodding the light with a finger. The bound woman gasped at the pain that entered her side, seemingly piercing her open, ripping her in two. "Do you feel the pain, Beryl? The pain of losing your soul to the devil?"

"The devil is nothing – nothing compared to you, witch," she gasped, the searing pain making speech the most painful thing she had ever experienced.

"Why, thank you," the fair woman laughed. "Now Beryl, we've really wasted enough time with cheap talk now, haven't we?" her red eyes were agleam, pure malice shining out from them. "I welcome you, Beryl."

The addressed women raised her head slightly in horror, narrowing her eyes.

"From now on you shall serve me."

"Never," she muttered with all the force her broken body could muster, trying once more to somehow free herself, even though she knew how hopeless it was.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman replied. Her jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed. "That was not a question." And with that, she crushed the light in one swift movement in-between her palms.

"Queen Galaxia has spoken," she whispered maliciously, as she snapped her fingers, the lifeless Beryl crumbling to the floor, bruised and broken, her soul torn.

--

Cheerios, Greta


	6. Chapter V

Disclaimers as usual, as Sailor Moon still has not become mine (damn).

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Five

by Greta

--

Stroke … stroke … stroke ... Breaking through the water, she feels the cold air of the morning hit her wet face, breathing it in deeply. Gulping the air greedily down – down – down her lungs, filling her body with strength, before she plunges back down into the cool wetness, which engulfs her, binds her. Arms stretch, hands grab, legs propeller. She feels the need within her body. The need to reach her limits – the need to feel the painful contradiction of her body for oxygen once more, enduring it long – long – longer, savouring the exhilarating need. Her eyes open, her body moves gracefully, swiftly, in the element so natural to her. So beloved … so cherished … so needed. She pushes her body down, further, further, down until she reaches the rough ground of the body of water she is in. Tracing her hand against it, she feels peace. All is calm within her. Closing her eyes she allows her body to do what it has been begging for, begging for painfully and greedily.

Resurfacing, she breaks through the ice-cold water, greedily swallowing mouthful after mouthful of air. Pushing her short wet hair out of her face, she lets her body float softly on the surface of the water, the cool rippling soothing her mind and body.

Breathing in deeply, Ami could feel the sunshine tickle her closed eyelids and feel her body sway softly with the water.

Oh, how she wished to stay here forever; her mind was free of thoughts and worries here, and her limbs woeful at the thought of leaving.

But slowly she opens her eyes, ignoring her body's protest as she takes in her surroundings once more. Her blue eyes blink, having to get used to the sudden brightness. Ever so slowly she swims to the edge of the body of water she is in, taking her time to relax one last time before the day would begin with all its facets, good and bad. The roughly hewn, white stone basin that held the water was easily her favourite place to be on the palace's grounds. Be it the early hours before sunrise or the wee hours of the night, may she be in it, pushing her body's limits further and further along, or simply sitting outside of it, she always felt of this place as her own.

The palace's inhabitants knew it existed just as well as she did, but no one felt the strange desire to come here as the Princess of Mercury did. The rough stone that held the water was dangerously covered in sharp corners and edges, being deep at the same time as well, too deep, some said. There were few ways to get in and out, barely anyone knowing where the stone was smooth enough to pull yourself out of the water without getting hurt.

But the danger made the place only more attractive for the young princess, as it meant that she would be left in peace, unlike anywhere else she went.

Shaking the water from her short blue hair, she stretched beneath the only just risen sun, her head uplifted towards it, before pulling on the dressing gown she had brought along with her.

Feeling ready for a new day to begin, she smiled silently to herself, heading to the Moon Palace, glimmering in the early sun in an almost sinister manner.

--

_Slam._

Usagi's nose twitched as she subconsciously heard the loud slamming of a door close by. Snuggling down into her pillow as far as she could, sleep still had a heavy hold on her.

It was when she heard loud voices come ever closer, that she could feel herself slowly waking up. Clamping her eyes shut, she turned forcefully to the other side, hoping to escape the bothersome noise and fall back into deep slumber.

Usagi sat up abruptly though as soon as she heard more yelling, her sleepy face disgruntled, her eyes disoriented by her sudden awakening. Rubbing at them she clumsily untangled herself from her covers, swinging her legs slowly over the side of the large bed she had been sleeping peacefully in mere minutes before. More tripping along then walking she made her way from her bedroom to her adjoined sitting room, clumsily pulling open the curtains as she went along, so she could make out where to go next before tripping over one object or the other. Walking over to the grandfather clock in one corner of the room, it took her dozy head a moment to realise how to read a clock.

"Five o'clock …" she mumbled to herself slowly. That could not be right. She couldn't remember waking up that early since – well, ever. Walking back to the windows, she peeked down into the grounds; the sun had barely risen, its rays still weak in the distance.

So what on earth was she doing up at such a time?

As if to remind her, a commotion rose again that seemed to come from right outside her door.

Grumbling, she stormed towards it, grabbing a dressing gown as she went along, clumsily putting it on while she yanked open the doors. Looking up and down the corridor, she let the door slam behind her, moving swiftly to the cause of her far too early wake-up call. The cold crept up her spine, leaving goose bumps on her skin, as she had forgotten to put on slippers when she had stormed out of her room. Rounding a corner, she found what she was looking for. Three young men she had _never_ seen before her in her life where standing boldly in the Western Wing which held the private chambers of all the young royals. Not only that, but they were walking towards the far end of it, drawing closer to her, to her private corridor. A fact that she would treasure far more from now on as it this allowed her maybe not necessarily peaceful sleep, but at least the possibility to sleep.

Two of them were throwing insults at each other, while the third one was busy lecturing them, his voice rising steadily to be heard over the other two's argument.

"Just what on the Moon do you think you are doing _here_?" she hissed as menacingly as she could manage, stomping up to them, her hands on her hips.

Stopping a few steps in front of them, she savoured the embarrassed looks they gave her. Well, at least the brown haired one was doing so.

She gave them no time to answer as she raised her voice again. "You do realize that you are making a ruckus at 5 o'clock in the morning in the royal's wing, and more so in the Princess' private corridor? How dare you enter the Western Wing of the palace without permission?"

Taiki sighed as he stared at the girl in front of him. Wonderful. He had really wanted to avoid something like this. Simply wonderful. He tried thinking frantically of something polite that would also explain their extremely unnecessarily and stupid situation, but his companions gave him no chance.

"Hey, dumpling, calm down, won't you? Can't you see we're in a discussion?" Seiya said, making a hand motion as if to shoo her away, seemingly absolutely unimpressed by the fact that they had just been intruding.

Taiki groaned. Trust on Seiya to make a situation worse.

The girl raised her eyebrows dangerously high, her hands clenching into fists. Why, how - _how dare he!_ Alright, she knew that her silk nightdress was crumpled, her feet bare, her body lopsidedly wrapped in the dressing gown as she had yanked it on too fast, her hair unkempt and tousled from sleep. But this! This was ridiculous! Didn't they know who she _was?_

"What did you just call me?" she whispered slowly, her voice deadly, having to look up slightly at the affronter. Head snapping up at her angry voice, Seiya focused on her fully for the first time. He had merely glanced at her before, that mere sweep with the eye giving him what he needed to know for a comment to bubble up inside of him to brush her off. He really didn't feel like dealing with her at all, no matter what she was accusing them off. And those two dumplings of hair atop of her head really could not have been avoided. He grinned boyishly at this sleepy and disgruntled damsel, his dark hair falling slightly into his face, his dark blue eyes full of mischief.

"Dumpling, dumpling …" he said slowly, savouring the effect the word had on her. "Well, what are you doing here then? Don't tell me a dumpling head like you is actually allowed down here, when we are not?" he said teasingly, not missing a beat, liking how the aggravation rose in her and how her cheeks turned pink with anger.

Smirking at his friend's comment, Yaten eyed the girl critically. "Well, maybe you can show us to where we are allowed then, little lady?" he asked mockingly, his beautiful green eyes narrowed sardonically.

This was more than she would take. Her body shaking slightly, if from the cold, which had now crept into her limbs, or from the temper rising inside her body she did not know, she stepped forward prodding her finger hardly into the dark haired man's chest that she was still facing, accentuating each word with a prod, increasing in strength as she went along. "Oooh, now you want my help, huh? If I'm so unworthy of being here, why should I know my way around here?" she asked loudly and angrily.

"Well, I wouldn't know, pretty dumpling, you tell me," Seiya said smirking, grabbing the hand she had been repeatedly prodding him with away from his chest. Holding her hand tightly in his he raised one eyebrow at her, delighted with her confused look stuck somewhere between anger and embarrassment.

"Seiya!" Taiki hissed under his breath.

"What? Can't a guy have a bit of fun while he's stuck in a strange galaxy?"

Hastily and forcefully withdrawing her hand, Usagi felt her anger triple. So, she was just a bit of fun, was she? Huh!

Pushing his companion aside, Taiki stepped forward, hoping he could somehow turn the situation around at last.

"I am very, very sorry for the rude manners my companions have displayed, and would like to apologize," he began, sighing. "I would also like to apologize for intruding these private corridors, but you see it seems we have gotten lost a bit."

"I take it that you are not from here then," Usagi said coldly after a moment's pause. At least the tallest of the three had manners, and was talking politely to her, very much unlike the other two.

"No, not at all. We've never been to the Solar System."

At this, Usagi perked up. Was that so? The conversation she had had with her mother the evening before instantly came to her mind. Oh, why hadn't she thought of this earlier? She was in enough trouble already as it was, she didn't need the news of her greeting these new guests to which she was supposed to tend with a fight and many angry words, even if they had started this after all.

"My name is Taiki. We come from the planet Kinmoku of the Red Cercis Kingdom," he said, bowing respectfully. "I am one of the Princess' Kakyuu's close royal advisors and protectors. Seiya and Yaten are my companions," he continued, while pointing at each, poking them in their sides to get them to bow as well, which they did after a moments hesitation, Yaten sighing, Seiya still smirking.

"Oh, I am very sorry for the inconveniences you have had, Taiki. You should have been welcomed properly; my mother has already told me about your arrival. I am the Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. I welcome you humbly," she replied mirroring his manners while trying to curtsy the best she could in her nightgown.

Seiya couldn't help but flinch.

--

Her magenta eyes watched her surroundings worriedly. The mists of time were – strange as it sounded – floating around her hectically, their movements strangely uncoordinated, which was very much unlike them. Her hand clenched her slender staff tightly while taking a few steps backwards. What was happening? This was so very strange for time. It almost seemed as if time was … confused. She had experienced something like this only once before, on a day which now lay almost 18 years in the past. Biting her lower lip, the Guardian of Time and Space worried.

--

Ever so slowly, a blonde head peeked around the corner of a corridor's wall, revealing two bright blue eyes checking their surroundings hastily. The Senshi of Venus was chewing her lip nervously. So she was a Princess? And a royal defender of _the _Princess? Well, that hardly kept her from being scolded for tip-toeing around the corridors at this time of the day, trailing mud behind her with every step she took. Her early morning training had not only left her bare feet muddy and her body sweaty, but had also made her skin her knees, shins and elbow from dropping to the ground heavily once too often. Her treasured sword was tied to her back, adding to her appearance of a warrior. Her high-heeled shoes in one hand, she tiptoed down the corridor briskly and soundlessly. Only two more corridors and she'd be in the Western Wing of the palace, where her chamber was next to those of the other girls.

Quickly moving on, a grin appeared on her face. Ha. The advantages of senshi training, which had left her step soundless, _were_ nice at times after all.

"Venus!"

The addressed youth flinched, her eyes widening upon hearing a scolding voice. Shit! She had so wished to disappear noiselessly in her room and emerge looking as if she had spent the last few hours sleeping, her scraped skin hidden beneath a billowing silken dress. Sighing she prepared for the worst. Even though she had been of age for over three years now, she - and the other Princesses as well - was still being treated like a child who needed to be brought up at times, or that needed to be told its place.

Well, not today, she decided. Breathing in deeply, she turned around, assuming that she was about to face Magda, the head servant of the palace, who was to be seen bustling around the palace at any time of the day, or even worse, Armina, one of the only people that still cared about proper royal etiquette.

"You know what, I don't give a damn about looking dishevelled, I can train whenever I want to and these really aren't bad wounds or anything –" she started saying loudly, trying her best to sound dignified, before realizing she wasn't facing anybody else but Usagi along with three strangers.

"Oh, Minako, don't fret!" Usagi said, laughing. "But what are you doing up so early?" she asked worriedly, before rushing forwards to her friend and giggling at the muddy sight of her.

Minako released the breath she had been holding, a grin of giddy relief spreading on her face. Smiling warmly at Usagi she found the concern being displayed for her flattering. "Only training, like I said. That shouldn't be a problem, I've finally gotten everybody accustomed to my sword-fighting in the mornings, but I guess Armina wouldn't really like the look of me right now, traipsing about and trailing the mud everywhere. But I mean, it's not my fault that it rained," she laughed, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"Oh Armina only worries about you, you know that. Bur Minako, it's still so early outside!"

"Well, exactly," she replied, smiling, her blue eyes sparkling. Usagi had no idea what it meant to fight and train, never having to do it. She couldn't understand the need to be out in the silence of the morning and savour the strength it gave her, the way it pushed her training forward, how the calm and loneliness in the morning made it easier for her to deal with the thought that her destiny was sealed with death, an early death. But she would not fret on that now. Changing the subject, she gestured towards the three strangers looking at her. "Who are you, if I may ask?"

"Eh, right," Usagi answered, remembering suddenly that they weren't alone after all. Glancing in their direction, she smiled apologetically, completely avoiding the black-haired one's glance. So he might not have known who she was, but she just would not forgive him for making fun of her like that. She couldn't forgive him so easily for that – especially as she had never been made fun of before after all. "This is the Princess of Venus, you three," she said.

"Princess?" the silver-haired male asked sarcastically as if in sheer disbelief, letting his eyes roam Venus' dishevelled body openly. "What kind of Princesses are you people? I mean, look at you," he said, his arms crossed across his chest, rolling his eyes at her.

While Taiki stopped to sigh frustrated halfway through his bow, the blonde senshi's eyes narrowed dangerously. _What was that bloody boy saying about her?_ Loosening Usagi's hand from her arm, she walked forwards to meet him, stopping directly in front of him, eyeing him irritated, her hands on her hips.

"What gives you the right to talk like that, huh?" she whispered dangerously while cocking her head. "Just because I feel the need of training in peace, it does not make me unworthy of being a Princess. Just because I'm good at what I do and rise at early hours …" breathing in deeply, she stopped in mid-sentence, before continuing, her voice deadly. "You don't have to judge someone you have never met before in your life. I am the Senshi of Venus, first royal protector of the Moon Princess. Address me with respect." Her head held high, she never moved her own blue eyes from his green, watching his expression turn first from mild surprise to utter bemusement.

Yaten did indeed somehow feel like laughing out loud. So this girl had guts. Most of the time, people backed away from his sarcasm sullenly, his small stings creeping under their skin painfully.

But that didn't bother him, no, it was actually quite the contrary. He didn't need people to come too close to him, to stay long enough and maybe somehow find a way to penetrate his shell. People were false. People were dishonest. And people were cruel. And before they hurt him, he rather cut them out of his life. He couldn't stand them hurting his soul anymore than they had already done over and over again.

But there was something about that Senshi of Venus. Her eyes were still glittering up at him, giving her a strange aura of dangerous beauty. Her blonde hair was tied back, her gloved hands clenched tightly to her hips, her upper body leaning towards him ever so slightly. He felt respect for her, respect for not letting his comments get to her and for the way she was talking back to him fearlessly, demanding what she felt she deserved. But he wasn't about to show her that much.

"Should I now?" he said slowly. "Well, prove it then. I don't believe in taking what people say for granted, whatever their title may be. I think that's very stupid, don't you? So prove it. Earn it." The words left him smiling deliciously at her, his eyebrows raised slightly. Minako's stare never wavered, but he could see uncertainty rising in her eyes. She had counted on shutting him up with her little speech. After a few moments of studying his face which was quite as defiant as her own, she couldn't help but cock her head to the side and smirk.

"Hey, hey, stop it you two!" a nervous voice kept the Senshi of Venus from replying. Tugging at her friend's arm nervously, Usagi hoped to keep the two from quarrelling any more. Not that they had been fighting exactly, but the power emanating from her friend had rather thrown Usagi off guard herself. Somehow she didn't want to see much more of that unknown side of her friend right now. And all the same, she couldn't help but feel that this had been on its best way to become a full blown fight.

These three boys just weren't getting on a good start on their first day here.

--

Shameless plug for my newest ficcy, "Bloodstained Angel": Chaos defeated and gone, Usagi and her friends settle down to their normal lives at last. But tragedy strikes once more, leaving Usagi not only utterly alone, but also immortal. The Gates of Time now unguarded, strange things start to happen, parallel universes overlapping, the forces of time jumbled. Bruised and broken, Usagi has to learn to get on alone, damned to eternity, fighting the new enemy that has come upon Tokyo: vampires. Time passes, leaving her almost unrecognizable to the three shining stars that return to the blue planet one day.

Greta ;-)


	7. Chapter VI

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Six

by Greta

--

Empty eyes stared at her, waiting for the command of her voice.

Grinning maliciously, Galaxia stared at Beryl, her deep-red eyes thoughtful. This young woman had proved herself to be worthier than she had ever anticipated her to be. Most people dared not even respond to a simple question the golden Queen asked, dared not even move their bodies out of sheer terror that crept through them. But this red-haired damsel had not only talked back fearlessly; she had also kept up fighting her power even once her body was broken and crumbled.

"But no one … No one can live without their light, can they, Beryl?" she whispered into the haunting stillness of the vast room they were still in. Her low whisper of a voice resounded around them, making her light voice seem menacing.

"No one, Queen Galaxia, no one," the obedient Beryl answered, her eyes lowered to the addressed person's feet.

Yes, no one. Galaxia had robbed this human of her light, leaving her as an empty shell, just as she had wanted her to be. She had crushed the woman's essence between her very fingers, leaving her gasping at her feet, ready to follow the golden queen without another thought. For now there was nothing but Galaxia for her, no trace of her former life remained. Her innermost feelings, thoughts and secrets, the memories that had formed her character, everything that added up to what she had been up to that point. Gone within a moment.

Brushing her long strands of hair behind her shoulder, Galaxia slowly got up from the throne-like seat she had been sitting on, taking drawlingly slow steps towards her newest servant. The low clicking of her shoes echoed around them sharply with every step she took, stopping only when she stood ever so closely in front of her little puppet.

"You were strong, Beryl. Admirably strong. Your mind and soul tried to resist me for such a long time," she spoke softly, tracing one finger down Beryl's jaw line. She traced the soft cheekbone, softly touching the wound with which she had marred the pretty face of the young woman. But no sound of pain left the young woman, no beating away of the hand which had inflicted the pain followed. Lifting one finger to tilt her chin upwards, Galaxia gazed into Beryl's eyes, which remained just as empty. "But no one resists me."

--

Luna was, to say the least, surprised.

It began with the fact, that it was just far too early for something like this. It continued with her Princess wearing only her nightgown, which according to etiquette was as good as naked, the Senshi of Venus looking like she had just mud-wrestled, and that two of the three boys she had never seen before, were fighting with those two young woman.

Placing her hands on her hips, she tried to look fierce and intimidating, much like her mother did in situations like these.

"_What _by the Gods is going on down here?"

Ten startled eyes were raised to look at the young woman standing across from them. Bright blue eyes scrunched up, her black hair billowing around her, Luna somehow failed miserably in doing what she had attempted to do though. Upon seeing only her young advisor, the silver-haired Princess returned to angrily hissing at one of the young man, and upon seeing her do so, the other ones failed to be intimidated by Luna as well.

Hmm. She would have to work on that.

But knowing she still had an ace up her sleeve, she moved over to them with heavy stomps, breaking into their middle easily. "One: Princess, get dressed, _now._ Two: Venus, have a bath, _now._ Three: Young men, follow me to the Grand Hall, as your Princess is already sick with worry, _now._" Her arms crossed across her chest, Luna eyed them squarely, making it clear that she was in earnest with what she had said and was not about to back down.

"But, Luna! This, this – _young man_, as you called him, has been-"

"Usagi, stop it, now. You are inappropriately dressed, Venus looks just as indecent, and _they_ are your guests! Have you no manners? And if you won't listen to me, maybe you will listen to Armina?"

Gulping, the fair Princess bit her lip. Luna's mother Armina was worse by far. Her eyebrows raised unbelievably high, her aura crackling with electricity, her mother's advisor could be quite scary at times. Stomping heavily on the floor with her right foot once, she stuck out her tongue at no one in particular. "This is unfair!"

Gripping the young woman by the upper-arm, Venus hissed at her to be quiet, before pulling her along down the corridor to their rooms. She was just not in the mood to face Armina right now, as the woman could easily rival a dragon at times.

Watching them disappear down the corridor, Luna smiled in satisfaction. Hah. She could do it after all. Turning to face the three boys, she smiled warmly. "You know, she won't listen unless you force her to. I am Luna, advisor of the young Princess Usagi. And now let's get you to your own Princess, shall we?"

--

Breath rattling from the icy cold that surrounded him, he tried in vain to warm his stiff hands with breathing on them as he pulled his shabby coat around his shivering body tightly. Pace quick, his eyes narrowed as he passed dark alleyways, the looming shadows in the shabby cobblestone corridors daring anyone to come closer still, hungry eyes and dirty hands waiting to pull whoever passed by too closely to them. Clenching his teeth, his fingers now curled into tight fists, his pale lips in a grimace. Oh, this planet definitely presented what it stood for in great variety. Cold and unpredictable, it never once allowed its millions of inhabitants to live a normal life; misery and poverty abided, and everyone, everyone from the smallest of children to the oldest that had lived most of their lives in their memories of better times, were constantly hungry, hungry not only for food but also for the warmth of a normal life, a life filled with happiness and hope they had never experienced. The glorious Silver Millennium, was it now? Greatest kingdom of the universe, greatest monarchy of all; all powerful, all good. Hah! _HAH!_ What a joke! What a miserable trick! For who would ever doubt the words that silver Queen so far, far away on the White Moon said about her kingdom? That Queen that knew nothing about their desperate misery in the end, and that did nothing, nothing to help at all? For, after all, how convenient it was to have a planet of death, a planet where one could shove all unwanted people of the galaxy to. How convenient it was, to have a place where one could put all that were said to be deceiving and cheating, to be thieves and tricksters, to be the very worst of what human nature could be. How convenient for the rich and powerful.

Feeling a cry of rage build up inside of him, he clenched his eyes shut tightly in anger as he breathed in the ice-cold air deeply, trying hard to control his anger. The air stung inside his body like countless ice-crystals, pricking his lungs sharply; but he breathed in deeper still, pushing the oxygen down into his body as far as he could, savouring the painful sting, the pain that brought his mind back from wandering in desperate thoughts that would get him nowhere for the time being. Not until he had at last reached his destination …

His quick steps thudded heavily on the ice-covered ground beneath his feet, the little snow that covered the thick crusts of frozen water crunching quietly. Trying to quicken his pace all the while, he bit into his lips that were already stiff from the pitiless cold, as his eyes and ears strained to find what they sought for.

" … For, what has that oh-so-wonderful kingdom, that beautiful and gracious Queen ever done for us? …" a voice dripping with sarcasm screeched with all its might in the far distance, bringing a small smile of satisfaction to his face. Breaking into a slow jog now, he forgot to care about slipping on the icy ground, desperate for the company of others that not only felt as he did but also voiced their thoughts.

"What, I ask you? Nothing! **Nothing!** I say, this Queen, this rich damsel that has no sense of reality doesn't give a single damn about us! She doesn't know that we exist, she doesn't know anything of our lives, and why, even if she did she wouldn't care!" Standing on a provisory stage of wooden crates, a young man who was wrapped in a tattered coat was shouting out loudly the words that seemed to burst from his mouth, a strange fire burning in his eyes that were fixed on the crowd surrounding him. The crowd was cheering for him and repeating his cries, their fists thrown into the air, their faces full of angered agreement.

"We were never a part of this Silver Millennium, of this kingdom that is supposed to be so grand and rich; we were always kept on the outside! Monarchy never touched this planet, as magic never did, never allowing us to be equal to the other planets of this galaxy! We were always the under-dogs! **Always!**"

Now he too had reached the thriving crowd that was pulsating with energy, pulsating with the fire of these people's souls. Pushing himself to the front of the crowd, he felt his heartbeat quicken in rhythm with the deafening cheers that spoke his very own thoughts. Already he could feel the cold withdraw from his body, the heat of the moment spreading to his fingertips instead.

"But, I ask you now, why have we been putting up with this for such a long time? Why, _why?_ I will tell you why; because we did not use to believe in ourselves. Without any faith there is no path. But, when we finally did find that faith, we were robbed of that chance to rise at last! _Robbed by the warriors of that kingdom we are supposed to be a part of!_" The young man clenched his eyes shut in blind rage, as he punched the air in anger with his tightly clenched fists. He paused his speech for a moment now, but the crowd never minded, as his words had now kindled a fire deep inside their souls, making them shout and cry in indignation. Scanning the crowd with his ice-blue eyes, he suddenly found a face he recognized. Standing there at the front of the crowd, a man, not much older than himself and just as shabbily dressed as he was, was staring up at him, a smile playing on his lips. Nodding at him, he returned the smile, before turning his face to look at the crowd once more.

"But no, we have learned from our mistakes. We have not lost faith, have we?" Loud cries of denial reached his ears, making his smile spread wider. "No, we have not! We are the people, and we will overcome all obstacles in our way! Saturn's people will rise once more, and this time, we will not let ourselves be pushed back by anyone, and may it be the Queen herself! We will rise once more! _Rise!_" His cries were carried to every one of the people surrounding him, and every one of these people knew, felt it with their heart, that he spoke the truth, _their_ truth. Their time was about to come – the people of Saturn would rise once more.

--

"Seiya, Yaten, Taiki. I'm so glad to see that you are safe." Her hands clasped in front of her chest, the red-haired damsel smiled a smile of pure warmth as she watched the three young men she had so anticipated seeing enter the Grand Hall of the Moon Palace. Upon seeing their golden-scarlet princess, their steps quickened as they descended the stairs leading into the room, smiles equalling hers spreading on their handsome faces.

"We are horribly sorry if we worried you, Kakyuu-sama. We arrived quite well, just a bit, erm, off-course," the auburn-haired young man said, as he dropped to his knee just as his two companions. "We are glad to see you are safe as well," he added warmly. "We already missed your presence, Princess."

Her red eyes rested upon his lilac stare that was so endlessly sincere, as she reached out her hands first to him and then to the three young men at large, motioning for them to get up. A warm glow of golden light was reflecting on her pale fingers, making the rings and bracelets she wore sparkle and shine as she stretched her graceful digits out towards them, the sun now having risen high enough to enter through the vast windows behind her back. Her dress of red and golden silk clung to her small body softly, making her appearance that of a sunbathed, blood-red angel.

Drawing in his breath slowly, Seiya took in her beautiful appearance with marvelling eyes. She looked so much like a beautiful glowing light in that moment, that he felt he would never be able to take his eyes from his Princess. It was only when Taiki had uttered the words that he had suddenly realized just how true they were. They had been separated for mere hours, but there already had been something missing; her warmth was of the most pure he knew, and her presence held an energy that was hardly describable. Rising slowly from the cool marble, he smiled at her as well.

"Princess …" he said quietly under his breath, as her red eyes met his.

"I am very honoured to meet you, young men," a voice suddenly cut through the high hall, high-heeled shoes clacking as they slowly made their way towards the addressed. Eyes snapping up, they saw a woman approach them slowly from the far end of the room. Her light-lilac eyes moved slowly from one attentive face to the other as she drew closer, the white gown that hugged her figure trailing unto the ground behind her. Silver hair spilled down her back, reflecting the light just as the red hair of their princess was doing; but her shine was entirely different. There was a warmth as well, but it was more mature and less innocent, and oh so heavy with power at the same time. It was without a doubt the Queen of the Silver Millennium.

"I hope you arrived safely, and that your journey was somewhat comfortable. Trans-galaxy travel can be exhausting." Coming to a halt close to their Princess, she nodded graciously at them while smiling.

Fascinated up to then with this strange power that hovered about her, Seiya never remembered his manners until he saw his two companions drop to their knees once more. Mirroring their action hastily, he could feel the heat cross his cheeks as his eyes fixed on the marble beneath his feet once more. How stupid he felt, but by far not only from forgetting to show his respect. He rather felt that the few words she had spoken to them did much more to make the colour rise in his face, as they referred to a very sore spot of his. Trans-galaxy travel could be exhausting, yes, but especially if you had no magical powers that were normally needed for it to work. His fingers tightened slowly into fists as the old mixture of anger and embarrassment seared inside of him, while he forced himself to accept what had been said as the gracious and not at all ill-intended comment it had obviously been meant to be.

"Please rise." She was still smiling at them, her eyes now studying their separate faces. "I welcome you humbly to the Solar System. Please do refrain from being overly formal with me." Her smile widened for a short moment, before she motioned for Luna to come closer, who had been keeping back by the open doors until now.

"You have arrived at such an early time that half of my Palace is not yet awake and about yet. I therefore deeply apologize that there is no bigger or more formal welcoming at the moment as I had intentionally planned for you to receive later this evening."

"Serenity-sama, please do not say such a thing. We are very sorry to have arrived earlier than intentionally planned and to therefore bring such inconvenience upon you," Kakyuu said, bowing in the older woman's direction. "My mother must have gotten something mixed up along the way, as she insisted rather forcefully that we leave when we did."

It did not go unnoticed that the Queen closed her eyes for the merest moment too long upon hearing the Princess speak by Yaten. Narrowing his olive eyes at the woman that was still so beautiful for her age, he felt the emotions rise in her like a storm, suddenly and out of nowhere, and with a surprising power. Cocking his head, his face thoughtful, he tried to reach for those emotions, grasp unto them as they spread in the Queen's body, like he always did when he tried to decipher people. Anticipation, fearful anticipation, soiled with dark visions and sinister thoughts, pictures of death and war, spread before his inner eye, and most of all fear, a horrible fear … Gasping, he suddenly felt himself being pushed away without warning from those thoughts and feelings that were not his own, leaving him to feel as if he had been thrown off-balance. The silver-haired woman was staring deeply into his eyes that were now rapidly blinking after they'd been left open for too long, her eyes slightly narrowed. What had he just experienced for that small moment when he had tried to read her mind? Legends of the great Silver Millennium existed all over the universe, stories and songs of the wonderful power and light of the beautiful Solar System. But that – that vision, spoke nothing of those legends. Holding the stare that was being bestowed upon him, his eyebrows knotted heavily as the Queen shook her head ever so slightly at him, before turning to his Princess once more.

"You are too kind, Princess. I will let Luna show you to your rooms in the Western Wing of the Palace. After that you can come and attend breakfast with the Princesses and get acquainted, if you wish to. My door is always open for you, so please do not hesitate to come and talk with me if you should need to," the Queen now spoke once more, no trace of her thoughts in her steady voice.

"You are too gracious, Queen. I thank you for accepting us so kindly," Kakyuu answered as she bowed slightly once more, the warmth still radiating strongly from her, as she looked into the taller woman's lilac eyes that were so very different from the only other Queen's she knew. Her mother, Queen Kakyoko of the by far much, much smaller Red Cercis Kingdom, had a strikingly scarlet appearance just as herself, very much unlike the silver Queen, just as age was by far more visible on her mother. Sighing softly, she pushed the thoughts of her cheerfully natured mother away, sensing it was not the time to dwell right now.

"It is my pleasure," the Queen replied softly, a small, but strangely sad smile playing on her lips. A pleasure? Maybe she was not being quite honest with that. It would have been a pleasure, had times been careless, and frankly normal. Her eyes rested on these young people standing before her, their separate shines strong and clear, their bodies full of youth and the curiosity for life it brought along. How she despised not being able to offer them what she wished them – a time that held no worry. And so she smiled at them, swearing to herself that she would not spoil the last of normality that was still there for them to enjoy, until it was unavoidable at last.

--

Running, running as fast as her feet could carry her, the cold wind whipping at her bare legs, breath short in gasps. Eyes closed, she let her instinct carry her along for a moment, her body becoming one with the wind blowing around her and that was playing with her tousled hair and heavy cloak.

"Haruka!" a voice close behind her called out, similarly out of breath.

The addressed woman glanced over her shoulder at the young woman hot on her trail, aqua hair billowing around her. Slowing her pace slightly, she let her step fall into the same rhythm as her companion's while reaching for her gloved hand. A small smile spread on her lips, and blue eyes met blue for a short second.

But both snapped their eyes back to the icy path they were running on suddenly as their ears recognized a loud and threatening sound that was not being made by the stormy winds or the sinister woods surrounding them.

"Are they …?"

Tugging at her companion's arm heavily, Michiru broke their mad pace on the slippery ground beneath their high-heeled feet suddenly, pulling her roughly against a tree that framed the uneven path. Raising her forefinger to her cold lips, she motioned for Haruka to push up against the rough bark of the spindly tree just as she did. Doing what she was being silently told without question, Haruka narrowed her stormy blue eyes at the rough stone building they had been running towards seconds earlier. It was a low building made out of roughly hewn black stones, its age obvious not only from the crumbling stone but also from the dead vines ranking about it in heavy tangles and knots. But even so, old and falling apart, it still held a strange aura. The wind's howl seemed to grow silent as it passed over the dark stones that were carved with ancient runes, the silence about it strangely eerie.

But a mob of people was closing in on the old building, drawing closer with each second as cries of rage left their bodies, cries that came from their very souls. Was she now only imagining things because of her lack of sleep and exhaustion, or was the energy that hovered about the old crypt now crackling with indignation over being disturbed in its unearthly silence?

"They are mad …" Michiru whispered in a low voice, as she shook her head slowly and with disbelief as she saw them moving closer still, raising not only their fists into the air but now also heavy stones and wooden crates with which they seemed ready to attack anything and everything that got into their way.

"But what shall we do?"

"We don't have to worry about the crypt … It is sealed so heavily that I highly doubt our combined powers would be able to grant us access."

Nodding at her partner's words, she never let her eyes leave the mob that had now stopped in front of the entrance to the old stone crypt that was being held up by pillars of times long gone. Closing her eyes tightly for a moment, she clenched her teeth, feeling the anger rise in her chest. Her fingers curling into her palms, she let out a breath of anger in frustration, before her eyes rose to look back at the crowd, where a tall, silver-haired man had now gotten up on a large rock that lay in front of the crypt and had started talking animatedly with the people surrounding him. How had this happened, _how?_

It reminded her so heavily of the events of five years ago, of those horrible events, that she felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Five years ago … what an incredible long time it seemed to be. It was now five years ago, that events very similar to what she was witnessing right now had started arising all over the cold planet of Saturn. They had started meeting like this, had started shouting out harsh words of what was only partly the truth, and had started organizing themselves. And they had rebelled. They had risked the little they had to stand up to what was the enemy for them, the Silver Millennium itself. How well she remembered those days now, how the images of those days were still branded in her mind. How helpless they'd been! They Queen had not allowed them to attack the rebels and their followers, instead trying to plead to their senses, trying to plead that the blood-spill and pain a rebellion brought along with it would not make anybody's situation easier. But they had laughed, laughed and sneered as they had burned down every building that had ever been built under the Queen's name on their planet and as they sought after the few rich and wealthy that lived among them. It seemed that they didn't mind blood-spill and pain in the slightest.

But they had made one mistake, one heavy mistake that finally brought the Queen's wrath down on them. They threatened her; they threatened to rip down the walls of the ancient tomb of Saturn, and they threatened to come as far as the White Moon that was the heart of the kingdom they so despised, and kill the follower to that throne, the Princess Serenity.

Flames of fury had burned in the Queen's eyes as she had finally given the order to do what had to be done to keep the rebellions under control. No matter what the cost … The words still echoed in Haruka's ears, as the Queen had repeated them over and over again in a voice so cold and heartless that it had startled her right to the very core. And so they had acted. The army of the Silver Millennium and the two senshi of Uranus and Neptune had fought for months upon months. In the end, it had taken them two years to finally bring back order to the planet of death and destruction. And so they had succeeded, but at what cost she still refused to think about. But nothing had now happened for three years –

"Three years!" she hissed angrily to no one in particular, her thoughts having made their way to her mouth.

"I don't think we could have expected them to remain quiet for any longer …" Michiru whispered, her eyes glazed over and fixed on a spot somewhere in the distance, while her delicate hand reached for her partner's once more. Gently squeezing the ice-cold hand that sought hers, Haruka sighed.

"Maybe …"

"But what do we do now?"

"Pray and hope?"

Michiru turned her head back swiftly to her companion, her eyes narrowed. "That is not the soldier of Uranus I know that is speaking right now …" Raising her hand to brush over the smooth cheek of her lover, she pressed her body against Haruka's taller one softly. "I love you; you know that, don't you?"

Burying her face in the soft locks beneath her chin for a second, the blonde woman hugged her smaller companion to her tightly for a moment. Feeling the fingers on her back curl into her cloak tightly as if holding on to her, she leant down and kissed the beautiful woman that was her very life, the one thing that made her whole. "We'll never be apart, be it in life or death." Pale fingers that felt cold like ice intertwined with her own tightly, before the weight of the other body was lifted from her own.

"Let's do what we have to do."

--

Purple eyes shot open suddenly, as her mind started screaming at her out of absolutely nowhere; it was screaming and shouting while sending jumbled images through her mind, confusing her deeply. Gasping in pain, she felt her knees buckle beneath her feet while her hands remained at the side of her pounding head, grasping her skull tightly. Breathing in deeply, she tried to concentrate, tried to see the pictures clearly that had come so out of nowhere upon her. She knew what she was experiencing; but she had not envisioned anything for the longest of time, never once since she had left her home-planet to live at the side of her Princess.

"_Visions are powerful things, Mars-sama. Never let yourself drown in them. Never allow yourself to be controlled by what you are seeing. It is a great and seldom gift of the Gods that has been bestowed upon you, especially as you are a Princess. Never forget, that you must remain in control. It is your body, and your mind."_

Eyes snapping open, she breathed in deeply once more, as she remembered the words she had been taught when she had still been a small child. Clasping her fingers in front of her chest, she forced her breath to slow down, while she repeated what she had learned with such a fascination all those years ago. As her eyes relaxed slowly, she drew her upper body up straight, as she bit into her lip harshly. Control … My body, my mind … Control is what I need … Mouthing the words along, she forced them to seep into her panicked mind, forced the words to spread inside of her and break through the painful images still vivid in her head.

And then she saw. Saw the blood spill as screams of pain echoed inside of her, bodies of energy slamming into all that stood in their way. She felt a cold and dread that was not her own spread through her body right to her fingertips that she still held tightly to her heaving chest, making it feel as if ice was running through her veins. But her mind only grazed those images, while it travelled on relentlessly, making its way through crumbling stones of old, leaving the shouts to be replaced with a silence that was by far more unsettling.

My mind, my body … My mind, my body … She never ceased repeating those words to herself, her eyes shut as tightly as she could. But she couldn't control the fast beating of her heart and its pace that seemed to quicken only more and more with each shaking breath she took. For she knew the thud that was now echoing slowly in her mind was not of her own body – it was not her own heartbeat she was listening to. The slow thud grew in noise as her mind led her through a darkness that was so thick she could not make out a thing but that horrible noise that was rapidly growing; down dusty steps she was led, down, down, to seemingly nowhere, endlessly downwards.

Thud … Thud … Thud …

My mind, my body, my mind, my body, my mind, my body … She forced herself to say to herself as she felt the noise slowly consume her, slowly spread to her every fibre, and make her whole being fall into its rhythm.

She stopped. Stopped the words she had been grasping unto, stopped the strange journey she was being lead through. Her eyes shot open as she gasped for breath noisily, her hands now pressed painfully to her chest.

For she had finally seen what her mind had intended her to see; a tomb, carved into a wall of black stone, a tomb that was covered in runes of the old Lunarian language of Selene, a tomb that held something captive. No, not something, _someone._ And that someone was slowly awakening.

--

Right, tell me what you think if you have the time.

Greta


	8. Chapter VII

--

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Seven

by Greta

--

Seiya looked around him, studying what was to be his room for an unknown amount of time. Narrowing his eyes he sighed. It was very unlike Queen Kakyoko to not tell them what was going on. Senshi training, she had said to them. Right. Who was to believe that they were being carted off to the far away Sol System to train? _And most of all when he even wasn't a senshi?_

Letting his hand run through his dark hair, he unfastened the sword hanging on his left side, letting it drop absently unto his bed. The room was very large, being a small apartment in itself. The separate rooms were connected through high doors, ending high above his head. Thick brocade curtains covered the high windowpanes and heavy carpets softened his every step.

He was feeling slightly uncomfortable in all this luxury. Yes, he did live in a Kingdom himself, and in a palace just as well, but strange as it seemed, everything he laid his eyes upon here seemed to mock him with its foreignism. Stretching, he moved to open a window, breathing in the cool air deeply. He was indeed tired. Travel had exhausted him, and their stupid little tirade earlier wasn't exactly doing a thing to make him feel any better.

He really had made a wonderful entrance after all, hadn't he? Groaning slightly at the thought, he rubbed at his temples. "Wonderful, really wonderful," he muttered, just as Taiki had earlier. But then, why did he care at all anyway? It was not as if he needed to be on good terms with the people he met here. Even though he didn't know when he'd be able to return home, he definitely wasn't going to spend a significant amount of his life here. Come to think of it he wasn't even feeling _remotely_ interested in being on good terms with the people of this galaxy. Well, truth be said it was that princess he had encountered earlier he felt no need of getting to know. She was strange being so naïve and childish as a princess, being nothing like the princess he had known for all his life.

Sighing once more, he leaned back against one of the heavy doors, propping his hands up behind his neck. So he was in a strange galaxy for reasons he did not know, unsure of what he was supposed to do now he was here, and had made himself unpopular already.

"Wonderful, just wonderful."

--

Hands busy, she tried blowing the unnerving strand of hair that kept tickling her nose away from her face over and over again patiently, but failed miserably in doing so every time. Muttering under her breath, the tall girl therefore tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling of having silky strands of hair swaying softly over her cheek and brushing her nose ever so slightly, softly tickling ….

"WAH!" the tall girl bellowed angrily as she forced her hands out of the fresh soil of the trough she had been kneeling in front of, to finally brush the unnerving strand of silky hair away from her face and scratch her cheek and nose.

Scrunching up her green eyes, Makoto sighed in bliss. What agonizing torture something _so small_ could bring.

Feeling her muscles scream in protest at her sudden and unpredicted movements, she flinched before allowing her limbs to stretch slowly. She had been in the palace's greenhouse since the early hours of the day, feeling horribly restless within the confined walls of the palace as there was nothing to be done that satisfied her. And so she had come down to one of the places she loved with all her heart; but her fascination and liking of the greenhouses confused her friends just as much it did the personnel. The glasshouses were huge buildings, crammed to every nook and corner with all of the palace's plants and seedlings, the confined rooms stifling hot because of the sun that shone brightly through the countless glass panes. And on days like these, when it had been raining heavily on the moon, the humidity inside the greenhouse was not making it the more comfortable.

"Makoto?" A blue-haired girl suddenly appeared from behind a large potted plant – a Savaris, a palm-like tree found only on the Moon - smiling warmly at the brunette girl.

"Ami!" Smiling in return, Makoto wiped her hands on the clothes she wore as she got up once again and stretched her arms high above her head to stretch some more. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing in particular. I just had this feeling that I'd find you here," Ami answered, winking at her friend.

Grinning, the Princess of Jupiter stuck out her tongue playfully. "Now, how did you ever guess that?" she asked mockfully. It was no secret that she was slightly obsessed with all things that shouldn't concern a Princess. But she couldn't help it – the things that were not supposed to be of her concern had held a strange fascination over her ever since she could think. Back when she had been still a child on her home-planet she had often snuck into the kitchens of the Io Palace and peeked into the many ovens and mixing-bowls and had begged to be of some help, to be of any use at all. The servants had smiled at her, finding her interest sweet, and had let her help whenever she had wanted to. If it weren't for her many duties and the appearance she had to keep up nowadays she probably would sneak down to by far grander kitchens of the Moon Palace still. Letting a small sigh escape her lips, she pushed the thoughts that also always held the bitter aftertaste of her mother's and nurse's outraged cries and yells directed at her dishonourable deeds as far from her mind as she could, and instead motioned for the Princess of Mercury to come closer.

"Look here," she said, motioning to the large trough in front of her, pride shimmering in her eyes. Moving aside so her friend could take a closer look at what the trough held, she couldn't help smiling widely as she said, "They're Pearl Orlayas."

Blue eyes widening, Ami knelt down beside Makoto, her gaze fixed on the flowers her friend was proudly motioning to. "Really …?"

Makoto nodded as she studied her hard-work with shining eyes. The large stone trough at her feet was brimming over with long-stemmed pale flowers whose delicate petals were of a pearl colour that shimmered softly in the sunlight that shone into the green-house. An indefinable rich scent rose from them, exotic and intoxicating at the same time. "I've been working on them for a few months now. You can't imagine what stress I've had with them. But you know, you've got to keep them a secret. They're a surprise for Serenity's birthday."

Ami glanced sideways at her friend, noting that her friend was still smiling delightfully even as she told her of the many troubles she had had with the seedlings of some of the rarest flowers that could be found in the whole galaxy. Smiling to herself Ami turned back to the beautiful flowers. Makoto would be the very last to defy a good challenge, especially when it concerned the things she loved the most. Had it been not for their destiny, she would have been the best mother of all times – Ami's hand quickly shot to cover her mouth as if her cursed thoughts had actually left her lips, quickly biting back the thoughts that had arisen inside of her head. Thinking about a life that was not bound to destiny was bound to be useless. For who was she to decide any such thing as destiny and fate? Closing her eyes for a moment, the blue-haired girl took a deep breath. _Get a grip on yourself_, her mind was telling her, and that was what she intended to do. She would let Makoto enjoy the small joys she had. Snapping her blue eyes open once more, she grinned at her green-eyed friend, before bending to admire the more than seldom flora once more.

--

"Are you alright?" Shocked to see a raven-haired girl kneeling on the floor upon carelessly rounding a corner, the young man dropped to one knee to rest beside her immediately. A pained expression was marring her delicate features, but her eyes seemed to be lost in a sphere that was her very own. Unsure of what to do, Taiki frowned at the startling interruption of his lost-in-thought strolling through the palace he intended to get to know. "Hey … Are you alright?" he repeated, his words soft as not to startle her.

But the girl gave no answer. Her hands were clasping her bowed head tightly, her widened eyes staring into the distance emptily. She sat rigidly on the hard and cold marble floor, her back arched and stiff, and she looked as if she had been in the very same position for quite some time. But what frightened Taiki the most were her eyes. The lilac orbs were so fixed in the distance that it seemed it was impossible for them to move.

Own lilac eyes narrowed, Taiki softly raised his arms to grasp her shoulders, trying to release her from her trance like state carefully as not to shock her. And it seemed to work, for her eyes finally came back into focus as her head snapped up to look at him. Her lilac eyes widened and her mouth rigid, her gaze fixed with his as she exhaled deeply before crumbling to the floor in a dead faint.

--

Grumbling beneath her breath, Minako let herself be wrapped into soft towels by her chambermaids as she rose from her golden bathtub, her thoughts still fixed elsewhere, the warm water having done nothing to relax her at all. Chewing her bottom-lip, she stomped off to her dressing room, ignoring her servant's timid questions of concern.

"How dare he!" she suddenly hissed out under her breath as she let herself drop heavily into a large and heavily padded armchair. _How dare he!_ Her mind was repeating inside of her, the rest of her jumbled thoughts even incoherent for herself. She was not only a Princess of the Solar System, she was the leader of the Inner Senshi as well and a proclaimed sword-fighter in the bargain! No matter where she went, she was treated respectfully, or at the very least nicely. But he, he – ARGH! Her eyes snapped open as she let a low grumbling sound leave her throat, making her two chambermaids look up in alarm. Sighing, Minako knew that she needed to get a grip on herself. She shouldn't let her weak sides slip in front of others, as there was no need of it spreading through the Palace, as gossip was cease- and merciless in the Moon Palace.

But still, that – that person would not mess with her! And she would not lose her reputation because of someone as irritating as him – something she had worked very hard for to achieve. It was Venus' reputation of being strong and unapproachable that she would not allow to be touched.

It had not been a long time at all since she had still hated being a princess and senshi with a tremendous fervour. Being a princess had made little and yet everything be expected of her from the moment she was born; while in the public, all she was to show was her lovely and polite side, and nothing more. But being nothing but beautiful and nice gave her no right whatsoever to also have things as carefreeness and fun in her life, as her mother and royal advisors did not think it to be adequate for a royal child. Not that she was ever offered any of the things she so sought after anyways; whenever she approached other people – servants and royal guests alike - in the Magellan Palace all normal conversation ceased away and was instantly replaced with boring and mindless formalities.

Things did not to start to change until she started approaching puberty slowly – for it was around that time that she finally learned that she was to be a senshi, a soldier whose one and only priority it was to protect someone else. Whenever she approached servants now, the forced and awaited respect of laying their eyes upon a royal was replaced with something truer and more honest than before.

But as soon as she left the confined and safe walls of her palace to train her senshi powers far away from home, she found out soon enough that her new status as a senshi didn't amount to the same everywhere. All people that talked with her were without a doubt respectful – but they never lowered their whispers behind her back far enough for her to overhear what they really thought of her. _Birth-given powers! Where was the difficulty of yielding powers that one had been born with? Stuck-up, proud little Princess, that knows nothing of life, nothing of real difficulty! Showered with respect and praise wherever she goes for the sole reason of who she was born as!_ How those words had stung her soul that had still been that of a child! But something inside of her had awoken back then. She had felt the urge and need inside of her arise to show them that she could be the best, that she could not only perfect the powers she possessed but take them much, much further. The blonde child had gotten interested in every art of fighting that could only be attained through hard work and sweat – and had finally followed her heart's long fascination for sword fighting.

Her eyes snapped open abruptly, a dark smirk etched into her face, as she got up from the armchair in reply to her maid's question if she wanted to get dressed now. Noting the ruffled orange dress that had been pre-picked for her, she shook her head disdainfully as she instead motioned at a dress that fit her mood of angered pondering much better.

Oh, she had shown them all. She had proven them that she did not need the powers she had not chosen to have, the powers that had been given to her without ever having been asked if she wanted to have them. She had proven the fact that she was capable of fighting and be the best at it. The soul of a true warrior had awoken inside of her when she had been only eleven years old.

Looking herself over in the golden full-body mirror standing in the middle of the narrow room that was lined with endless shelves and racks of her clothing, she smiled at her reflection. No, she had worked hard for who she was. Let him do what he wanted to do – she'd be the biggest obstacle in his way, she'd see to that.

--

"I'm bored," the silver-haired youth grumbled beneath his breath, his arms behind his neck as he walked lazily down the corridor.

"Shut up, you obnoxious idiot."

Narrowing his pale-green eyes, Yaten turned to look at the black-haired young man walking him beside him. Shaking his head, he sighed. "What's up with your flowery mood today, Seiya?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," Seiya rolled his eyes as he replied, keeping his stare deliberately ahead of him. His hands that were curled up in fists were buried in the pockets of his dark pants, his steps as heavy as his mood. He wasn't even sure why he was feeling so very unlike himself today. He was actually a cheerful person by nature – but today something was pressing on his mood. And he had a feeling that it was in fact the grand and sparkling Silver Millennium that was making his thoughts churn around themselves and turn into dark and unrecognizable clumps.

"I'm still bored, Seiya. Your fucked up mood may be interesting, but there's no one to spark it off."

"Yaten, I'm warning you. You are big enough of a spark!"

Chuckling as he stuck out his tongue, Yaten ducked beneath the arm clad in a simple black shirt that had been heading for the back of his head. While he was still wearing the minor armour he always wore as his daily apparel, Seiya was not, which honestly surprised him. Seiya was a proclaimed fighter, and always liked to show that fact off to the world. But today the black-haired youth wore only simple black clothing to match his mood. Hearing a clicking of high-heeled shoes, Yaten turned his gaze from his friend to look up. Grinning, Yaten let his fingers run through his long strands of silver hair as he cocked his head at the young woman approaching them.

"Are you following me?" she barked harshly upon seeing them to her obvious distaste once more, her eyes narrowing as her hands travelled to her hips.

"What a warm and friendly greeting. I feel so welcome," Yaten drawled, raising an eyebrow. She looked different by far from before. Apart from not only being clean, the Princess of Venus was dressed in a trailing gown of black and scarlet lace that hugged her curves very tightly, revealing much of her figure in the bargain. Her hair was tied back in a loose French-braid, the blonde tendrils of hair escaping it framing her face which showed distinct but obvious irritation.

"Well, it seems you've picked up how to feel just right." Her blue eyes narrowed, she kept her eyes fixed on Yaten as her stride slowed down in the slightest as she approached them. Her blood-red lips curled into a small scowl as she noted Yaten's irritating superior gaze as his eyes travelled obviously over her body. "What, surprised to see the girl unworthy of being a Princess looking like one?"

"One, I never said you were unworthy. And two, I _still _don't think you look like a Princess exactly. Aren't you supposed to run around in ruffled silk and look innocently pretty?"

A small and surprised laugh escaped Minako's full lips, the sarcasm in it obvious. "Are you telling me how I should look as a Princess? How about putting a full programme for me together and tell me how to act as well?"

"As gladly as I would do so, I don't see any use for me in a cause like that."

Eyes snapping open once more, Minako muttered Lunarian curses obviously directed at the silver-haired youth under her breath loudly enough for him to hear, before clenching her teeth together and picking up her stride once more to walk past him without another glance.

Seiya's eyebrow raised as he turned his upper body slightly to allow his gaze to look after the girl walk away from him and Yaten. Well, it was more likely Yaten she was consciously turning her back on as she had not even so much as glanced at him while exchanging verbal attacks with his companion. Shaking his head he could actually see what Taiki had meant earlier. How long had they been here? A day? No, not even a whole day yet. How many people had they insulted up until now? Too many for that amount of time. He therefore was not sure if he should take Taiki's place right now and tell Yaten off or actually start chuckling avidly. Somehow the latter won.

Yaten too had turned to look after the blonde woman walk away but raised his gaze to look at Seiya upon hearing him laugh. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he thought about what to do next. A grin spread on his handsome face slowly as he turned back to gaze down the long corridor. "Well, see you later," Yaten said, before taking the same route Minako had. Seiya couldn't help his laugh increasing upon seeing Yaten walk away from him without another glance. Yaten could surprise him over and over again – it was impossible to predict his reactions. And Seiya honestly felt that the one Yaten had chosen now, pursuing after the blonde, had been the choice he personally had expected the least.

"… Minako …?" a timid voice suddenly echoed around him, making him turn away from Yaten's retreating back. And who did his eyes come upon standing in the middle of the corridor, her eyes fixed in the distance on her own friend's backside? The Princess of the Moon, who else. Rolling his eyes, Seiya sighed. According to Yaten's description she was indeed a Princess through and through, garbed in a baby-blue silken dress that – though it too hugged her figure, though more discretely by far – practically screamed innocence. Her delicate features looked quite startled in fact, and her body language was telling him she felt distinctly disgruntled.

Usagi was indeed feeling so. All of her senshi were friends of hers just as much as they were her warriors and protectors; but she had to honestly admit that the girl she saw in her mind whenever she thought about Minako was nothing like the hot-blooded woman she had just seen in the flesh. Her tight dress with its alluring lace and dark colours, the scarlet lips, the way Minako had talked, the aura she had given off – everything was absolutely unlike from what Usagi was used to.

"Princess, don't you feel like dressing like that yourself some time?"

Seiya's mocking voice suddenly broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to the corridor she was standing in all too suddenly. Blinking to clear her gaze that was slightly clouded from staring off into the distance for too long she turned around heavily to face him, her face set in a grimace. "_What?_"

Seeing her enraged gaze with a vigour Seiya grinned. "What, don't you agree? Your friend certainly was a sight to behold. Quite different from what you present yourself as I'd say."

"Are you insulting me?" Usagi whispered in slight disbelief as she narrowed her eyes, her mouth slightly agape. _Was he insulting her?_ What had she done to deserve this sort of treatment from him?

"I don't think I am, actually. I'd say take it as a bit of advice," Seiya drawled at her, grinning cockily as he got ready to turn around and leave. Teasing her may be fun, but her wide eyes brimming with disbelief were irritating him quite a bit. Before he actually had the chance to get a single step away from her though, she had stomped up to him with heavy steps and struck his cheek with her right hand. Alright, it was probably the weakest slap he had ever received in the course of his life, but it startled him quite a bit, not thinking the girlish princess was up to any such thing. Turning back to her, disbelief was now etched into his own face.

"Don't talk with me as if I were a child of some sort – I may not present myself as a woman the way Minako does and I may not even _be_ a woman the way Minako is, but that still gives you NO reason to talk with me like that!" Her voice was angered and rose in pitch with every syllable in the last sentence directed at him; and yet it was still quite stable despite the tears brimming in her blue eyes. Clenching her teeth upon not hearing a single word of response or even an apology from his mouth she spun on her heel to hurry away down the lone corridor they were standing in.

Rubbing at her eyes she cursed herself silently for presenting her tears to him as she quickened her pace down the long and winding corridors of the palace that was to be hers. She didn't care where her hasty pace took her – all she wanted was to get away from him. She was not used to criticism from anyone but herself. And it was only in her moments of deepest insecurity that she let those thoughts of herself rise inside of her; seeing them noticed by someone else and having them actually voiced out was a bit too much for her.

Did he honestly think that she didn't know she was nothing like a woman? She didn't look it, and well, just look at the way she was acting now, running away and bawling like a child! Damn herself for presenting her weakness like that!

It wasn't until she ran into a frantic looking Luna that she stopped from her increasingly growing rapid pace and finally managed to shake the clammy feeling that had gotten a hold over her away; and it wasn't until the words that Rei had collapsed and fainted had burst from Luna's mouth that her advisor noticed the tears streaking her face. But Usagi brushed Luna's concern away almost angrily, swearing to herself that she would pull herself together. For there were more important things than petty egoism. And her friends were without a doubt among those things.

--

Flinching, the Queen quickly withdrew her fingers from the book she had been leaning over before. Eyes narrowed, she muttered low words of pain, as she rummaged around for a handkerchief to wrap around her thumb and forefinger which she had just cut on the heavy pages of the old tomb she'd been studying. Sighing, she realized she would have to do without a cloth to stop the blood from trickling down her pale hand, as there was nothing of use to be found in or on her vast desk.

The blood was now making its trail down the inside of her palm, slowly trickling over the many lines and creases that told her of her life. Thick and deep-red, it took its own time. _Thick and deep-red …_

Closing her eyes shut so tightly it was almost painful, the Queen clenched her teeth as she held her breath. Deep-red … Oh, it was not supposed to be that way.

She was the Queen Serenity of the grand Silver Millennium, the biggest and most powerful kingdom and monarchy known throughout the universe. As Queen Serenity she was the direct descendent of the great Goddess Selene who had been the first to rule over the Solar System. There were legends, stories and songs about the Silver Millennium – myths of glory and of wars, of unbelievable riches and of breath-taking splendour. It was only _the true story_ of the Goddess Selene that was almost unknown at large.

The true Goddess of the Moon had lived thousands of years ago, back in the time when the Solar System had just come into existence. But even back then in its earliest days of existing, the galaxy had already harboured a cold and cruel darkness – but Selene had had the courage and the power to ban Chaos into the furthest corner of the universe to where it could do no harm anymore.

The great beings of Time and Space that had created the universe at large were peculiar beings – they were noble and yet unbelievably vain and cruel at the same time; they were proud and arrogant creatures, but also wise enough to know that a war among their own ranks was nothing to be risked. So they decided that each of them would seal a part of their powers away on the planets of the Solar System, weakening their separate strengths that could be so fatal to such an extent that they now would not have the power to attack one another successfully anymore. Impressed by the pure power and courage Selene presented while banning Chaos they decided to put the powers they had sealed away under her care.

This made Selene even more powerful than before – but wise and thoughtful, she never abused the powers that had been bestowed upon her, and instead used them to form the Solar System in the way she thought to be the best. Selene was now the most powerful human being in the universe – and that power had been given on from one generation to the next. Silver blood ran in the veins of the followers to the throne of the Silver Millennium, silver blood that held the power of the universe.

Bowing her head in silent defeat, the Queen let out a shuddering breath. Silver blood … Yes, it too had run through her veins. She had been born a direct descendent of the true Goddess Selene, just like the many rulers of the Silver Millennium before her. She too had held the power of the universe within her. She too had been the most powerful human in existence.

Her hands curled into a fist as she deliberately let her nails sink into her injured flesh, forcing the pain to spread through her digits. But the great beings of Time and Space weren't stupid – they never had been and they still were not. Even though they had weakened their individual powers, their combined power was still something that rivalled no other. They had always been far stronger than Selene if they set their mind to it; oh and how they liked that fact. And so they used their powers on a regular basis to show the ruler of the Silver Millennium who was the _real ruler_ behind everything, acting under such names as destiny and fate.

And on that one day almost 18 years ago they had done so once again, even if they had never admitted to doing so. But they had gone too far that one time.

Sighing, the Queen leaned back in her seat once more, straightening herself from the crouched position she had been sitting in. Her grey eyes scanned the dim ceiling high above her, as the thoughts lay heavy in her head. Eighteen years … Had it really been that long now? The time had passed so fast, and yet she could still remember it all so clearly. She could recall every second of pain she had gone through, the very sound of her own ragged and desperate breath, the smell of the cold rain that had drifted about her and most of all the torture for her soul that that one night had brought along. Eighteen years – and yet it all seemed like yesterday.

It seemed just like yesterday that she had given everything up. What was that famous line again? God gave angels the choice. They are free to choose.

Chuckling beneath her breath, she raised her unscathed palm to her forehead, pressing it against her hot forehead. _Free to choose …_She too had had the choice to choose her path. And she had been the first to ever do so in the history of the Silver Millennium. She had been the first to pay the price that was set for defying the decisions made by the great beings of Time and Space. The first and maybe the last, for the price she had paid for her child had been a high one. The powers of Selene no longer ran through her veins, making her into nothing more than mortal.

It seemed that her choice was now about to doom the galaxy she loved to death and destruction.

--

Magda raised an eyebrow at the woman seated opposite her. The young woman was very pretty, her red locks of hair trailing down her slim body thickly. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and her eyes fixed on the Palace's head servant, listening attentively to every word that was being said to her, answering the questions being asked of her politely and smartly. But the young woman's eyes and the gaze they were fixing her with were irritating Magda deeply. Those deep brown eyes staring into her direction were strangely empty and void of all the things eyes usually held and were supposed to hold; there were no emotions, no thoughts and no feelings whatsoever. Beautiful in themselves, the eyes seemed almost inhuman as empty as they were. Blinking to break their locked gazes, Magda took a deep breath, trying to shake the strange thoughts from her head as she studied the questionnaire clasped in her hands once more.

Empty stare or not, she had been the best applicant for the free position of a servant all day. She looked smart and tidy, and capable of working the way Magda demanded of the many people that were employed in the grand Moon Palace. An empty stare was no reason to deny her the position she was obviously fit for. And so Magda forced a warm smile unto her round face as she slowly rose from the chair she had seated, raising her hand to shake the young woman's.

"That will do. I see you are fit for the position. I welcome you to the Moon Palace, Beryl."

--

"Mama?" The Lunarian guards had already left their posts in front of the Queen's private chambers to take up their place for the night at the entrance to the West Wings of the Moon Palace, so the young Princess slowly opened the door to her mother's private chambers herself, flinching at the creaking sound that reached her ears.

Once again her mother's chambers were covered in a heavy cloak of darkness, only solitary candles lighting the way through the separate rooms. Crossing the parlour slowly she found the sound of her step seem strangely out of place in the merciless silence that surrounded her. But she went on steadily, her heart's beat increasingly rising as the strange atmosphere of the rooms slowly seeped into her bones.

Grasping the heavy silver handle of the door that led to her mother's study, she softly pressed it down, inching the door open. Eyes wide, she stopped upon seeing her mother bent over her arms that rested on the wooden desk in front of her, her one palm smeared with blood, weeping heavily and deeply.

Her eyes wide, the young Princess withdrew from the scene she was witnessing instantly, as her mother had obviously deeper worries on her mind than those that were bothering her young soul. But truth be said that fact scared her quite a bit.

--

So, that's that for today! Drop me a line if you have the time, 'kay?

Cheers,

Greta


	9. Chapter VIII

I want to say how grateful I am for all the reviews I've received from all you nice people so far! I savour each and every one of them! A big thank you to you all here!

--

"The Fiction We Live" Chapter Eight

by Greta

--

Usagi cursed herself as she lifted the layered white skirt of her dress, her pace quickening to quite a sprint. She had received note of the grand introduction of the royal guests to the Silver Millennium earlier that day but had completely forgotten about it in the course of the following hours, worries occupying her mind fully. As much as she was not interested in the obligatory formal introduction of the four people that were her guests she knew that there was absolutely no way around it. If she didn't show up to it she knew that her mother wouldn't stop at expanding her  
curfew to the walls of the Palace itself. And she had better hurry, as being late would bring her a scolding as it was anyway.

Biting back the curses rising inside of her, she skidded around a corner, her feet already aching from the dainty white shoes with high-heels much too high to run with comfortably she was wearing. How she despised her duties sometimes! Pushing past a few servants harshly she felt their astounded gazes grazing her backside upon her whizzing past them in a very un-Princess-like-manner before finally rushing through the grand doors of one of the larger throne rooms of the palace. There were different throne rooms for different occasions; this one was the largest and destined for formal royal events like this. Noticing their Princess, the crowd instantly made room for her as she hurried forwards to her mother's side where she should have arrived several minutes earlier.

Trying to regain control over her quickened breath she smiled serenely at her mother, knowing that the last thing she should do was to make her lateness obvious to the crowd. Her face flushed, her chest heaving, she tried to look as serene and royal as possible and keep her real interior hidden from the rest of the hundreds of people crowded into the room. It seemed she had gotten here in the nick of time as a deep voice suddenly boomed throughout the high room.

"Introducing: the princess of the Kinmokusei Kingdom and first heir to the royal throne, Princess Kakyuu!"

A beautiful red-haired woman smiled graciously and warmly at first her mother and then at her before dropping into a low and respectful curtsy. Usagi returned the smile, noting the other young woman's beautiful appearance and especially the calmness she emanated. Out of the corner of her eye she caught her friends, who stood left and right from her and her mother, mirroring Kakyuu's action of curtsying. She always felt slightly strange when she saw them doing this act that was customary among royals. As she was the princess of the highest royal rank she was not supposed to do any such thing ever; people should only pay respect to her, not vice-versa. She could feel the colour that was still high in her cheeks deepen slightly as she let her eyes sweep over the crowd so she would not have to look at them.

It seemed that many people had been invited. There were the royals of the Moon Kingdom planets themselves, and many friends, mages, erudites and ministers of her mother's.

"Last Descendent of the Star Field Light of the Kinmokusei Kingdom!" the deep voice bellowed out once more, making her snap her wandering eyes back to where she was supposed to be looking. Repressing a snort, she noted Seiya now bowing in front of them. So that was his official title? She wondered what the last descendent part meant, not knowing anyone of that status.

As he straightened Seiya's gaze fell upon her. He had not seen her since she had turned her back on him after slapping him the day before. Truth be said, he was usually not treated like that by women, as they tended to like him. It took him no effort to win them over; their fondness for the tall, dark-haired sword-fighter with the seductive grin was obvious from his first glance to them. _For the most part,_ he corrected himself as he noted her flushed face staring defiantly at him. Raising one eyebrow at her, his expression cold and expressionless, he turned away quickly, his steps a tad too heavy.

"Last Descendent of the Atmospheric Light of the Kinmokusei Kingdom!"

Usagi clenched her teeth together in self-control. Only seeing him had made the emotions run high in her! She had not forgotten what he had said to her yesterday – oh, she would never! They had been few words that they had exchanged, but they had been definitely well chosen as they had stung her exceptionally. Forcing a smile unto her face she looked up at the brown haired young man now before them, the very one that had found Rei.

Suppressing a sigh, she let her gaze wander back to her friends; there they stood, the Princess of Venus, the Princess of Mercury and the Princess of Jupiter. Only the place where the Princess of Mars should be standing was empty. Her friend had not awakened ever since she had fallen unconscious and was lying in her chambers at that very moment where Usagi had left her mere minutes before. She had stayed at Rei's side the rest of the day before and most of the new day; she hadn't wanted to leave her friend's side thus making her late.

"Last Descendent of the Night Sky Light of the Kinmokusei Kingdom!"

Oh, couldn't they get these useless formalities over with already? She felt impatient and out of place as it was and knew a place she'd rather be in that moment. But what was there to do? Nothing but sit it out and smile like the doll she felt she was at times like these.

­­--

Breathing in deeply, the raven-haired girl stared at the ceiling of her room that stretched high above her, her features furrowed in troubled thought, as she was - to say the least - confused and shaken. What exactly was it that she had witnessed deep within her? She wasn't sure how much time had passed since then, as all she could make out from her room was the inky darkness of the night outside.

But the things she had seen were still so vivid and clear-cut in her mind. Those images had been so jumbled that she wasn't sure what had been real and what had been added by her own thoughts and memories of long ago – for she was indeed certain that the images she had witnessed and that had brought her to her knees had indeed been real on not just some twisted fantasy her mind had conjured up. Bringing her arms up to rest on her forehead heavily, the one thought persistently nagging in her mind bringing a sigh from her lips.

She did not want to believe that these images could fathom along the thing she dreaded the most. She wanted nothing less than another war to rage in the galaxy, as too much had already been lost in the one that was still so vivid in her memory.

It had been five years now – five years that seemed to be eternally long and short at the same time. Five years that had taught her what it was to suffer and what it was to never forget. It had been five years now since he had been killed.

His name had been Jadeite. He had been sent to Mars when she had still been a mere child – but she had loved him ever since the first time she had laid her eyes upon him. He had only been a few years her senior and yet he had already seemed like a real man even back then; tall, strong and handsome with his untamed locks of sand-coloured hair and stormy blue eyes.

But it wasn't his looks that had drawn her to him; there had been something other than that, something inexplicable that had bound their souls together and had drawn them to one another. He had been the first to understand her fully for who she was.

He had come from the blue planet Earth, unknown to most habitants of the Silver Millennium, in want to train and become stronger for his life's mission. The planets of the Silver Millennium each held their own powers that differed greatly from one to the other – Mars was the mysterious planet and was the place to learn what was considered to be the supernatural.

And so he had come one day to her planet of fire, claiming to want to learn and train, so that he could protect his Prince once the time had come. She remembered watching him from afar as he dropped to one knee in front of her mother, the Queen of Mars. She remembered tracing the outline of his face with her gaze, somehow amazed and transfixed from the very beginning. Once the queen had spotted her she had told her to come closer, laughing warmly upon seeing her daughter half hiding behind a high pillar of the throne room. Upon hearing her approaching steps he had slowly lowered his eyes from her mother to raise his gaze to her flushed face. She remembered that moment as if it were yesterday; she remembered every detail, the scene playing in front of her inner-eye in slow motion.

She had fallen in love in that one moment, in a way that resembled the blaze of a kindling flame.

She had been ten years of age back then, but age had had no play in the matter. She had stayed at his side as often as she could, seeing to it that she could train and learn with him as often as possible. They become close companions, he teaching her what it was to fight and she teaching him to discover his inner voice that could – in his deepest moments of need – help him better than the best fighting skills. He had stayed on Mars for three years; and on that day he was bound to leave for Earth once more she had finally kissed him.

She had never told Usagi just why exactly she liked Earth so much. The reason was simple: she had spent her most wonderful moments with him there. She too had left her home planet soon after him to live on the Moon, making meetings with him scarce. She had managed to get to Earth as often as was possible for her, grasping every opportunity to do so.

But five years ago the war on Saturn had started. It was a brutal and unneeded war in her opinion, but who was she to argue with the Queen's opinion? But things were not going very well several months into the war. The queen of the Earth then lost no time to grasp the chance to strengthen her alliance with the Silver Millennium in offering her support in the war, which Queen Serenity gratefully accepted. Rei had never forgiven her Queen for making that choice as it resulted in Jadeite being sent off to Saturn. The war had been won eventually, but he never returned alive from the  
ice-cold planet that reeked of death and destruction. He had died five years ago.

But that flame she felt for him deep within her still blazed to that very day. The only difference was that its heat had turned from being passionate and alighting her very core to being painfully scorching.

"Haruka … Haruka!" the senshi of Neptune cried out as she witnessed her companion being struck heavily by the angry mob of people with widened eyes. A cry of rage escaped her throat that was already sore from the biting cold as she saw Uranus stumble and fall to one knee. Not bothering to call out the words of her attack she summoned the energy of her planet in-between her palms by mere thought, sending it flying at the people in her way. Breaking into a run as well as she could, she headed for the blonde woman who was grasping her side as she tried to get up from the icy ground. Skidding in her high-heeled shoes, Neptune stumbled on the ice beneath her feet, which did not stop her from gathering another wave of energy in her palm to throw at the intruders that had had the nerve to hurt her lover.

Throwing herself down at Haruka's side, she ignored the skin of her knees tearing as it came in contact with the rough ice. "Haruka …" she whispered, as she brushed the other woman's blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Michi … Don't be so concerned …." Laughing coarsely, the Senshi of Uranus grinned as best as she could. "I'm all right, really …"

Forcing Uranus' arm away from her rib case, Neptune shook her head. "Don't lie to me … I feel your pain as much as I feel mine …" she whispered frantically, but stopped upon seeing the large gash Uranus had been covering before. Blood was steadily seeping through the white of her uniform, the red spreading rapidly. "Oh, Haruka … "

"We've had worse injuries, Michiru …"

"You are not making this down, believe me. I'm calling Pluto now …"

"Don't, no … She needs to stay …"

"Be quiet, fool …" Shaking her head at her partner, she raised her palm to the crystal resting on her chest, evening her breath the best she could as she concentrated upon the Guardian of Time and Space_. Pluto, I need you,_ she whispered in her head, calling upon the one other guardian of the outer boundaries of the Silver Millennium. _Please_ …

Her cold and merciless surroundings grew still and almost motionless, as energy flickered in front of her cowering body. Sighing in relief, Michiru bent over her partner who had already lost consciousness once more.

Materializing in front of her, Garnet Staff raised high in the air, Pluto emanated pure power. Her eyes narrowed, she scanned her surroundings quickly, before her eyes stopped at the aqua-haired senshi. "Neptune, why are you calling me?" she asked harshly, her breath rising in a cold mist. "You _know_ that we are not to –" stopping in mid-sentence upon noticing Uranus, Pluto's eyes widened as she hurried forwards. "I  
understand, Michiru," she sighed. Raising her staff once more, she concentrated her power on the three of them and transported them away from the doomed place.

"Why my dear Queen what a nice occasion to come together once more! I've always said that the strengthening of relationship between the separate galaxies should be paid more attention to," the counsellor of one of the Solar System's sister galaxies bellowed out loudly before laughing equally as loudly, his deep tenor drawing eyes to his round frame.

Queen Serenity smiled at him serenely, quite accustomed to his loud and always laughing nature. She had known this man, Xavier, for most of her life, he being by far older than he looked. He had already been the counsellor of all foreign relationships concerning his galaxy when she had still been a princess, and her own mother had still reigned over the Silver Millennium.

"It's been some time, Xavier, you're right."

"And what lovely guests those four are! I dare say that I've never met Kinmoku's princess before, as I've only had the pleasure of meeting her mother up until now. But now, she's nowhere as lovely as your own daughter, my dear Queen!" Xavier's loud voice rose once more, his deep laugh covering many a conversation that was going on close to him.

The young Serenity shook her head as she laughed daintily at the compliment directed at her. Smiling at him as best as she could, she suppressed the urge to just to stab her finger into his heavy chest and tell him to stop saying such slobbering things. For one thing she felt she deserved no comment like that at all. The fireball princess was easy to make out in the crowd of people with her alluring cloud of crimson, conversing easily with everyone who spoke to her while showing what seemed to be real interest and perfect politeness. And apart from playing the part of the princess perfectly she managed to somehow emanate such an alluring energy of  
womanly beauty that Usagi felt exceptionally jealous looking at her.

" … Serenity? Serenity!"

Snapping her head back to her mother, Usagi quickly smiled while raising her eyebrows questioningly. "I'm sorry, mother. Yes?"

"Oh let her be, Serenity!" Xavier said laughingly before the Queen could raise her voice once more. "Go off to your friends, dear Princess. You're too young still to have to listen to all our boring babbles!" Laughing, the round man waved into the other youth's direction.

"If you say so, Counsellor," Usagi replied, before grasping the chance being offered to her and quickly turning from her mother.

"Xavier …" the Queen sighed.

"Oh Serenity! Let her enjoy herself for a bit! She's a girl as much as she is a princess; you know that, don't you?"

"What you are saying is nothing new to me after being her mother for almost 18 years now."

"I should think so," Xavier laughed as he looked around for one of the servants that were crossing the room with their tablets of petit four. Spotting one, he cheerily waved the servant over before helping himself to a handful of the small appetizers. "I should think so, Serenity. After all, you weren't much different from her when you were her age."

"Now, was I?"

"Oh, you were a handful when you were young, Serenity. It's only that everyone who knew you back then has either forgotten or chosen not to mention those facts anymore."

This time even Serenity replied with a genuine laugh. Yes, much time had passed since she had risen to be the Queen of this galaxy. Over 20 years had passed since her mother had passed away, leaving her to rise to the throne when she had been as old as her daughter was now. But it was not only the others that had forgotten how she had been when she had still been young herself; somehow the memories had ceased to emerge inside of her for the longest time. But now that Xavier was mentioning it … hadn't she too snuck out of the palace late at night? Hadn't she even run off to meet a man? Yes … But then he hadn't been just any man … Oh, how much time had passed.

"Say Serenity, aren't we in for an announcement still?" Xavier asked good-naturedly but curiously, forcing Serenity from her thoughts.

"An announcement …" Serenity repeated under her breath, knowing that quite some task was still awaiting her. A task she was definitely not looking forward to, now she thought about it. Why did plans like this always seem easier thought than acted? Sighing, Serenity nodded at Xavier who was still curious for an answer. "Yes, an announcement still awaits us."

All this conversation had gone unnoticed to the young princess though, who had hurried away as soon she had been informally dismissed. Her mother would not disagree or put her opinion against one of her guest's in a trivial matter like this, so it had solely been a matter of grasping her chance. Smiling, Usagi turned to look for her friends. Too bad that they seemed to have disappeared from sight without telling her where they'd all gone off to. Seeing as she had no interest in staying around to be talked to death by people who felt it was their need to do so she quickly hurried  
around one corner and another before she reached the exit she so sought after.

As soon as her foot crossed the threshold that led from the throne room to a normal corridor that was in no way at all part of the festivities anymore a heavy sigh left Usagi's chest. Raising one hand to her forehead to rub her temples, Usagi warily and much slower than before made her way down the darkened marble hallway. Usagi loved the light and pretty; but somehow the dim and dark corridor with its long and dark shadows had a soothing effect over her just now. Just why did she feel so distraught? Trying to bring order into her confused thoughts, Usagi  
closed her eyes, all the while seeking for an answer to the question she was asking herself. But who was she trying to fool? Today was not a day to find answers to her questions; she could feel that much deep within her bones.

Closing her eyes, she sighed as deeply as she could, while she continued making her way blindly down the corridors of her home, the soft clacking of her shoes the only sound surrounding her. It wasn't until she felt a hand clasping on her wrist, that her eyes snapped open once more.

A shrill shriek rising in her throat, Usagi instantly pulled her wrist back towards her body as forcefully as she could, while trying to distance herself as much as possible. "L-l-leave me be! I'm – I'm calling the guards!" she continued, panic surfacing in her voice. Her wrist was instantly released, making her stumble a few steps backwards  
uncoordinatedly, while she strained her eyes to recognize the person that was well camouflaged in the inky darkness.

"Hey … Sh … Don't act as if I'm hurting you!" an angry voice broke through Usagi's panicked babbles. Perking up upon hearing a voice that she felt far too familiar with after only knowing it for such a short time, she immediately straightened her body, her proud and erect posture trying to hide the fact that she'd been very scared moments ago.

"_You!_ Are you following me?" Usagi spat out at the person that was undeniably Seiya.

"Who'd be interested in any such thing, eh?"

Clenching her teeth together, Usagi was short of growling at him. "Shouldn't you be at the festivities being held in your honour then?" she hissed menacingly, stepping into a pool of light the moon was casting on the marble floor through a window.

Raising his eyebrows at her, Seiya smiled mischievously. "I'm sure that three out of four is good enough for anyone who is even vaguely interested in us … And I'm sure that my missing is nothing to worry over when the Moon Princess herself doesn't show her face at the festivities she is supposedly giving," Seiya said, mimicking her hiss with a smirk.

Taken aback, Usagi paused for a moment, mouth slightly agape. Her face turned from him, Seiya couldn't make out her expression, only that she was shaking her head slowly, before her voice spoke up again. "Even you must have guessed, that I'd rather be anyplace else than in that damned throne room right now."

Cocking his head at her, Seiya chuckled. It deemed him strange how her mood could switch from enraged to serious in a mere matter of seconds. Shaking his head himself, he turned away from her to face the window side of the corridor. Propping his hands up on the wide marble sill of a window that reached far above his head he sighed while surveying his mirrored reflection for a moment. But it wasn't only his face that was staring back at him; behind him she stood, the innocent Moon Princess, one hand curled at her chin, her eyes staring intently at a spot far away in the distance. Reaching up, he opened one of the large windows to let in the cold air of the night before turning back to face her.

"Are you alright, then?" he asked after having breathed in the refreshing air deeply for a few moments, his eyes fixed on the wall across from him.

Pursing her lips, Usagi looked at him in surprise. "Why are you asking?"

"You've made me wonder what has made you turn your back on that 'damned throne room'."

Usagi wasn't quite sure if she should laugh or not. "Don't act as if my emotional state is of any concern to you."

"Hey, don't make me sound heartless …" Seiya muttered his eyes still not on the princess. Ah, what was he doing here? She was right after all; her emotional state really shouldn't be among any of his concerns. He had enough things on his mind as it was. But … he knew that he would hate himself for evermore if he didn't at least listen to her. It was strange, really; she was still as aggravating as she had been the days before, with the superior airs she was putting on and the childish comments she threw at him, but something was different. Letting his eyes finally look at her once more, he sighed. She looked sad and lost standing there in the middle of a dark  
corridor with no one at her side; wanting to listen to her problems was one thing - he could always convince himself that he was after all only wanting to help – but why on Kinmoku was there some side inside of him reacting to her loneliness by wanting to answer it with going over to her side and never leave her?

He was making her uncomfortable. His eyes were fixed on her face, looking at her as intently as she hadn't been looked in – well, she couldn't remember being looked at like that by a man ever before. Breaking their eye contact, Usagi shook her head slowly from one side to the other and instead let his words run through her mind. Heartless …hmm ... maybe that was a bit harsh, yes … but - "You've given me no reason to assume you are anything but," she muttered after a few moments of silence. "And that in not even two days! Shall I congratulate you?" she continued, not hiding the mockery in her voice.

"Well, should I in return remind you that you haven't been exactly sugary sweet either?" Seiya replied bitingly. Rolling his head, he turned his gaze away from her once more. He knew it. He had been stupid to think that concern would reward him with anything worthwhile.

Usagi blinked hard for a moment feeling a bit … stumped. What was making her feel so was the fact that he was right. Biting her lip she took a deep breath before slowly walking over to where he stood leaning against the window sill. She felt like she was being treated like a child? She felt like she didn't deserve his snide remarks? Well, it definitely didn't come from nowhere; it was her own fault if she wasn't acting any better than him. Her hands clasped behind her back tightly, she came to a halt in front of him. "I … I'm sorry. I acted stupid as well. I'm sorry, really."

Cocking his head at her Seiya locked gazes with her for a moment. "Well, Princess, now that you're apologizing I'd feel bad if I didn't as well."

Usagi's gaze turned hard for a moment, her mouth opening to bitingly ask if that was the only reason why he would apologize, before she got a grasp on her childish side and instead just glowered at him for a moment.

Upon seeing her silent anger, Seiya couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What's wrong, Princess? Aren't you going to voice your anger? I can still tell what you're thinking anyway."

"I … I, well, I mean, no, I want to refrain from voicing any more unpleasant things, thank you very much. I am a Princess after all, you know."

Seiya couldn't help but laugh once more, louder and much more felt this time as well. Switching from rows on the corridors to a careful choosing of her words, from cursing him to apologizing, from the actions of a teenager to those of a child and those of an adult and back again … What a Princess indeed.

"I know that you're a Princess. And I'm sorry as well. Really. And not only because you apologized first."

"You're forgiven," Usagi said solemnly, nodding her head graciously at Seiya, who in response only started chuckling once more. Feeling a grin break out on her face as well, she joined in his laughter. "Let's take this as a new start then, shall we?"

Smiling softly, Seiya nodded. Without giving it much further thought, he reached towards her right hand, clasping it in his own. "Let's dance, shall we?"

"Dance?" Blinking slightly taken aback, Usagi repeated her short question once more. It wasn't that she couldn't dance. And it wasn't that she was surprised that he could dance. She couldn't explain it, but it just deemed her almost ridiculous to be dancing with that person.

"Yes, dance. To begin this new start adequately," Seiya said, grinning at her wolfishly, before placing his hand on her backside and waltzing her around the lonely corridor to the music that reached them from the festivities they both were supposed to be attending in that moment.

Gasping in pain, her hold on her staff tightened as a surge of pain swept through her uniform-clad chest. Clenching her teeth together tightly as she closed her eyes, she brought her garnet staff down harshly to the ground, a thunderous boom resounding as the two came in contact with one another. Though she desperately tried to refrain from showing just how much energy this had cost her, her knees buckled beneath her without her having a say in it, bringing her to the ground harshly.

Prying one garnet-coloured eye open, the senshi of time and space looked at her companion, now noticing for the first time that her fellow guardians of the Silver Millennium looked as if their fight had not gone all too well and according to their satisfaction. Leaning heavily on her trusted staff, Pluto tried to get up, but to no avail. Teleporting three people – one who was completely drained of her energy in the bargain – from the one planet of the solar system upon which numerous protective magical spells lay when she was already having enough on her hands wasn't exactly  
making her a happy skipper.

"What happened, Neptune?" she said, deciding to stay kneeling on her knees for a few moments longer to gather some more of her needed strength. "I thought they were just a small mob of rebels …"

With the unconscious senshi of Uranus lying heavily in her arms the turquoise-haired woman, flinched as she shifted into a position that allowed her to face Pluto. "They were, Pluto, that's exactly the problem. They were twenty at the most … But they fought with magic, Setsuna …" Her voice died into a whisper as she shook her head, the shock of finding energy that was undeniably strong being thrown at her still deep within her.

"Magic on _Saturn?"_ the green-haired senshi whispered aghast, her eyes wide and her fingers now clenching the garnet staff now almost painfully tight. "Magic on Saturn, the one planet sealed away to such from the inside_ and_ outside?" she repeated, adding the thoughts that fearfully sprung up in her mind. "It can't be …"

"I'm afraid to say that there is no denying it … And Setsuna, I'm sure I recognized the energy of the one casting the magic …" Michiru's voice had dropped to a fearful whisper. "It was an energy that originates from Earth."

She had to admit that she felt surprised if not somewhat taken aback. Having been sent out by the Queen to come and fetch her daughter, Minako had not expected to find said daughter waltzing down a dim corridor with a man she had glowered at and cursed about hours before. She had been watching the two dancing together for the past minute or so, and still had not stepped up completely. She knew that she couldn't put it off for much longer though; the Queen had seemed rather irritated at not being able to find her daughter anywhere as it was, and she was sure that Usagi would only get in trouble if she didn't show up at the festivities sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, Minako drew a hand through her golden locks absently before fully walking towards them.

"Sere … " she said loudly enough to make the two syllables echo in the vast corridor. It did the job Minako wanted it to do, as the two people stopped dead in their tracks upon hearing her voice. Sighing, Minako placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head while clucking her tongue. "Really, Sere, what are you up to now? Your mother's been wanting to make some announcement for the longest time now but refuses to do so until you're there, and here you are, dancing in dark and lonely corridors with some handsome man," Minako said in a lecturing voice that undeniably held a smile though.

"Minako …" Usagi muttered, glancing over her shoulder to look at her friend. Noticing that she was still grasping Seiya's hand, she felt a blush rise in her face as she let go of it abruptly, quickly stepping away from him as well. "I – well, I wanted to get away for a moment and went looking for you lot, but then I, we, I mean – "

"Oh Sere, stop stuttering around. I'm the last to deny you some fun with handsome strangers from far away galaxies," Minako said, a big grin on her lips, before winking at Seiya coquettishly.

Seiya raised an eyebrow at the blond damsel Yaten had chosen to follow the day before, rather unsure of what emotions he should approach her with. He had enjoyed dancing with the Moon Princess, there was no denying it; her voice had echoed closely in his ear and her lithe body had moved easily with his. But at the same time something inside of him was protesting, which made his mind yell out that they were only dancing in defence, upon which he was first presented with the thought that if he was actually defending his deeds there had to be some part inside of him that thought far too much of this all. He didn't like this, really; it confused him, and left feeling more insecure than he would have liked to feel. Shaking his head while breathing in deeply, he ignored his jumbled thoughts as best as he could.

"Well, Moon Princess, it seems we need to return to that 'damned throne room' after all now," he muttered, grinning lopsidedly.

Drawing up her shoulders for a moment before releasing a big breath of air, Usagi sighed deeply. "I guess so … But stop calling me Moon Princess please. I'm just Usagi," she said before walking off towards where she was expected.

Following her slowly walking away figure, Seiya smiled. "Alright Usagi. Thank you for the dance."

Glancing over her shoulder, the young woman only smiled.

"Hmm …" Her hands crossed across her chest, Minako cocked her head questioningly at the two people walking away from her. Who would have thought … ? Shaking her head softly, her eyes turned to the floor, tracing the tiles beneath her feet for a moment. But she would be the last to utter any of the words that were running through her mind in that moment, for she had a feeling that she was still the only person aware of anything, including the two retreating people.

Picking up her orange silken skirts slightly, she followed their steps briskly. The two had already entered the throne room when she reached it, getting there just in time to hear the Queen speak up.

"Serenity, would you please step up?" the Queen asked as soon she had spotted her daughter in the crowd, a cool smile on her face as she motioned for her daughter to come closer.

Smiling, Usagi tried to mirror her mother's calmness in the best way that she could. For somehow, without any real reason for it, a nervous knot had started building in the pit of her stomach, which only grew in size when the many guests parted to make a path for her. Forcing her smile to remain on her face she couldn't stop the nervous feeling inside of her growing. Stepping up to her mother's side, she then noted the two people standing beside the Queen for the first time. Two people she had never seen before, one of them a beautiful woman and the other a scowling young man, that looked quite discontent upon being where he was at that moment.

Nodding her head at her daughter shortly, the Queen raised her voice once more, directing it at the crowd. "I would like to announce an engagement tonight," she started, pausing to smile first at the two guests at her side and then at her daughter. "Meet your fiancé, Princess, the Prince of the Earth, Endymion."

Usagi's eyes snapped open as the rest of her body seemed to lose its ability to move. Her heart beat away wildly, the loud thumping sound echoing in her mind and body. What had her mother just uttered? "My … fiancé … ?" she whispered under her breath, the disbelief that her petrified body wouldn't portray in her voice. "_My … fiancé …?"_ she repeated slightly louder before finally finding the strength to snap her head to the side and stare at her mother.

The Queen cringed inwardly upon seeing her daughter's hurt eyes that accused her of betrayal. But what was done was done. Breathing in deeply, the Queen closed her eyes for a moment, before offering her offspring a small and sad smile.

Smiling. Her mother was smiling at her, the last she felt like facing in this situation. She would have liked to pretend that this whole announcement was nothing but a bad joke, nothing but some stupid mistake! But that one smile told her all she needed to know; and it hurt and stung and angered her and left in her in nothing but sheer disbelief.

The joyous clapping of the crowd reached her ears distantly as her eyes swayed back to the man that was to her husband. Her husband … the person she was to spend her entire life with … and yet he was nothing but a strange face she had never intended to get to know!

"No …" she whispered under her breath, the soft sound being drowned by the tremulous clapping. "No!" she repeated fiercer than before, before finally crying out: "Never!" Spinning on her heel she left the three people standing on the heightened platform without another glance to push her way through the crowd of people.

Watching the silver-haired girl run away frantically, Endymion sighed. "At least one of us voices our thoughts."

--

If you haven't noticed yet, the Generals are gonna be a bit butchered up. Hell, the whole storyline is being butchered up. I honestly hope you don't mind. (grins)

Review for God's sake – or even better for mine. ;-)


End file.
